


flex (time to impress)

by commanderbadass



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, F/F, Lexa is hopelessly in love and she's persuaded no one knows, bringing flowers to lexa for no reason, just a reason to write Clarke working out, prince charming!clarke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-04
Updated: 2017-03-13
Packaged: 2018-07-11 16:10:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7059820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commanderbadass/pseuds/commanderbadass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bellamy beat Clarke at a push-up contest during pizza night. Clarke is a sore loser. Lexa, her roommate, who loves their perfectly organized apartment, hates the pull-up bar Clarke has just bought to work on her revenge. Until she gets home everyday, exhausted, to a sweaty Clarke in her favorite jersey. Then she starts to love the chromed bar that clashes with everything else in the flat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. a lost bet

Clarke loved sports. She had always been sporty. But what she loved the most was competition. Running sounded like the cruelest thing ever invented to her. Except, of course, if there was a race involved. Clarke liked to win and hated to lose. That was why she was waiting in line to pay at the sports shop, a pull-up bar in its packing box in her hands. She hated to lose and she would certainly not admit defeat; not to Bellamy Blake on top of that. Octavia would be way too happy to remind her of this little incident every day for the twenty years to come. So she sacrificed sixty dollars solely for her pride. As she got out of the shop, Clarke thought about her roommate's reaction when she would see her drill into the door frame to fix the bar. Lexa was going to lose it the second her eyes would notice how this was going to clash with the candles, the flowers and the art supplies.

She walked up the street, the sharp and cold wind of January reddening her cheeks, and headed to their flat, not far from campus. She had stopped using public transportation too. Walking was a part of her workout, a part of her training. Her boots made cracking sounds in the snow and she slipped every four steps. She knew she probably looked ridiculous but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of winning again.

When she finally reached the apartment's locked door, her legs, which were covered in bruises after falling on the sidewalk numerous times, burned from the effort. Her fingertips, red from the cold, fumbled in her pocket to find the key. A flow of curses escaped her mouth when she almost dropped the package. She swore to start using the key-ring Lexa had gave her the very next day.  Her roommate had never said anything about it but Clarke knew she was getting tired of her locking herself out. She had lost her third set of key since September, even after Lexa had meticulously placed colorful stickers on them. Flowery stickers weren't really her thing but Lexa liked them so she had never dared to protest.

When Clarke finally unlocked the door and got in, she took her boots off, throwing the package inside the living room. It hit the white wall with a loud thud. A wave of warm air suddenly surrounded her body and Clarke threw her navy blue coat, still wet from the snow, on the chair next to her. She was overreacting. And Lexa was going to kill her.

Before she could think about returning her purchase, she grabbed her phone and texted Lincoln. He had promised her he would put up the bar this afternoon before going to work. She decided to make some coffee to warm her frozen hands. The flowers she had bought earlier that day caught her eyes and she changed the water of the vase to occupy herself. Lincoln showed up barely twenty minutes later and walked on Clarke sipping her drink on the couch.

"Hey there," she greeted him, sitting up.

"Hey. Look who I found on the way," he said, pointing a finger behind him while putting a bag on the floor.

Clarke heard someone else close the door and looked over Lincoln's shoulder to see her best friend.

"Well, isn't it our future president?" Clarke smirked. "Finally found some time to visit an old friend?"

"Shut up, Clarke," Wells answered, kissing her cheek. "I see you every week."

Clarke put her feet on the coffee table and offered some coffee to the newcomer. Wells declined and opened the fridge. He considered the few options he had and poured himself a glass of homemade smoothie.

"Lexa still makes those?"

He sat next to his friend on the couch while Lincoln opened the box.

"And you're the first one to drink them, Wells," Clarke replied, "so don't judge. Plus, they're actually good now."

"Easy, tiger," Wells laughed. "You know I love everything Lexa makes. Her cookies the other day were delicious."

Clarke raised a hand, stopping Wells.

"Since when does Lexa give you food?" she asked, dumbfounded.

"Since she loves me more than you, I'm afraid," Wells announced, slowly bringing the glass to his lips in an exaggerated manner. "And since I brought her coffee last Monday. She wanted to pay me back."

"Of course," Clarke smiled.

The younger girl was too kind for her own good. Drinks were sipped in silence, Wells enjoying the calm and Clarke thinking about every kind things Lexa had done she could think of. Lincoln stopped her little daydream.

"Where does this go, Clarke?"

He had the bar in one of his hands and the drill in the other. Clarke got up, put her coffee on the table and wakled up to Lincoln.

"On the bathroom's door frame?" She asked, unsure. "Where is it the best hidden?"

"It's a pull-up bar. It can't really be _hidden_." Lincoln stated.

Clarke glared at him and he put his hands in the air, whispering a "just saying". They discussed their best options for a minute but settled for the bathroom anyway. There was no way they could put this anywhere near the living room. Clarke stood on a chair and held up the bar waiting for Lincoln to mark the places where the holes needed to be. He took the drill and shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't believe you're such a sore loser. Lexa is going to kill you," he said, starting to drill into the door frame. "You know how much she loves this apartment and how it looks."

"I do," Clarke sighed, "and that's why you can see twenty peach roses on the counter, ready to make their little effect."

Lincoln put the drill down and drove a screw into a hole in the bar. He looked up at Clarke.

"What's the meaning of peach roses?"

"Gratitude."

Lincoln couldn't stop the smile spreading on his lips and chuckled at Clarke's answer.

"What?" she asked. "It's a way to thank her for her kindness."

"You bought her flowers that represent gratitude. You are so dead, Griffin."

He finished to install the bar, smiling to himself and making Clarke nervous at the same time. She knew Lexa wasn't going to be thrilled but she hadn't set fire to the house either.

"How is it going with the kids?" she asked to change the subject.

Lincoln's amused smile turned into a softer one. He was a judo instructor and had chosen to work mostly with kids. The love he felt for these children was literally making him shine. He was a walking ball of positivity and softness and Clarke loved to spend time with him. Lincoln was like a break in human form. He instinctively knew what to talk about and which topic to avoid.

"They're getting better and better. I know I already told you but you should come with Octavia someday."

"She asked me to accompany her a few times, it's my fault," she apologized. "I just didn't really had the time these past weeks."

"You still want to quit?"

"Yeah," Clarke nodded, leaning against the wall. "Med school isn't for me. I thought it was, you know, after Finn… because I dived into work. I didn't realize it then but that's not what I want to do with my life."

Lincoln nodded and placed the last screw.

"Does your mother know?"

Clarke shook her head no.

"She doesn't need to. She's way too stressed by work right now. I don't want her to worry about me."

"Abby has the right to know, Clarke," Wells said, appearing behind Clarke. "She'll find out anyway."

Clarke sighed and put her hands on her best friend's shoulders.

"You're right," she stated and Wells smiled. "But this is not happening."

Clarke lightly tapped his shoulder and focused on Lincoln's work. She could already hear him arguing but she wasn't in the mood to fight. Abby worked as a neurosurgeon at the hospital nearby and spent her time either working or sleeping. Clarke didn't want her to worry about anything else. She would talk to her about it later and she would still go to class until then. It was settled.

"You know she might need a while to understand but she only wants the best for you," Wells continued.

"I don't want to talk about that today, Wells. Really."

Lincoln finally tapped on the bar, announcing his work was done. He gripped the bar and did a few pull-ups to test the resistance. When he decided it was safe, he grabbed the drill to put it back in his bag while Clarke quickly swept the dust on the floor next to the bathroom's door. Wells decided to try their new little attraction too and the discussion about Clarke's studies was soon to be forgotten. The three of them were too caught up in their conversations to notice that someone had opened the front door.

"Hi."

Wells immediately let go of the bar and both Lincoln and Clarke turned to the newcomer at the same time. A young woman stood before them, a few snowflakes melting on her light-brown hair.

"Lexa!" they exclaimed, a wide smile on their lips.

She was taken aback. It was strange to see them all smile like this but she definitely understood something wasn't right the second she set eyes on Clarke. She knew her and that smile way too well.

"What did you do?"

She took her coat off and got closer to the trio.

"Do you like the flowers?" Clarke asked, ignoring the previous question.

"Of course I do, Clarke. They're lovely. But-"

Clarke stepped forward and put her arm around Lexa's shoulders, leading her to the living room.

"I'm glad. Do you know what peach roses mean?"

"Yes, it's about… thankfulness, right? But why would you–" she started to ask, giving a questioning look to the two boys behind her.

That's when she noticed it, above Lincoln's head. Something that looked like chrome steel and that clearly wasn't there when she had left this morning. She felt Clarke's arm fall to her side when she turned around to look at whatever that was. She stepped into the bathroom, looked up and sighed heavily.

"It's only here for a few weeks, I promise."

Lexa barely waited for her to finish her sentence, "Please don't tell me this is about Bellamy."

"Pff, what? No," Clarke said, trying to look nonchalant and leaning against the door frame.

She looked at Lexa who raised her eyebrows, waiting for an explanation. It wasn't even a question anyway, it was a statement. Of course it was about Bellamy. Lexa already knew it. But Clarke couldn’t possibly look into her eyes and tell her she was disfiguring her beloved apartment because she was too damn proud to admit defeat. Also something Lexa already knew.

"I need to work out."

"Clarke…"

"You're seriously going to tell me I don't?"

Clarke went to living room and hopped on the counter, next to the vase full of roses. She picked one of them and smelled it before handing it to her roommate.

"No," Lexa started, answering the question and stopped right away. "I mean y– Look, you can do whatever you want that makes you feel good but –" she stuttered.

She noticed Clarke's grin and realized what she had just said, a blush creeping into her cheeks. Why was she unable to talk decently whenever she was around this girl and had to make a fool of herself? She started fidgeting and went behind the counter, the flower still in her hand, to pour herself a glass of water. She wasn't thirsty, really. She just needed to keep her hands busy to avoid doing anything stupid. When she stayed quiet after a minute, Clarke shifted on the counter to look at her.

"Hey, you're okay? I was kidding," she said, a soft smile on her lips.

"I am," Lexa nodded. "But it has been three weeks, Clarke. How can you still be thinking about this?"

Lincoln leaned on the counter, next to Clarke, and asked, "What happened at that party, anyway?"

"She didn't tell you?" Lexa huffed and Lincoln shrugged.

"Briefly."

* * *

 

**Three weeks before**

Small doodles drawn in the fog on the window were starting to vanish, miniature drops of water rolling down the glass. A spaceship, some stars, a few names and hearts surrounded them made it look like a blackboard stolen from a primary school. The steam dimmed the dazzling streetlights illuminating the campus' streets. Gales of laughter were interrupted by a knock on the door and the pleasant smell of hot pizza dough. A brief flurry of activity invaded the room.

"Ten bucks? Anybody?"

Bellamy and Wells searched in their jean pockets for money while Octavia rushed to Raven's side to take the four pizza boxes and put them on the coffee table. She had been complaining for the past hour about how she was so hungry she could die on the spot. Raven and the boys paid the pizza delivery boy before joining the three other girls who had gathered Christmas-themed napkins and glasses. Bellamy asked his sister to give him a slice, bending over her shoulder. She reached out to grab some four-cheese pizza – the only one she knew he hated - and handed it to him with a big smile. That owed her a warning glare from Bellamy who picked up a napkin from the pile.

"Don't be an ass, O. You know Bellboy is sick and grumpy," she teased, ruffling his black curls.

Octavia grinned and pinched his cheeks to "give them a nice color". Bellamy stepped back, annoyed, but he couldn't hold a smile. He sat on the armrest of Wells' chair and traded his pizza slice for his friend's one. Raven, Clarke and Lexa sat down on the couch in front of them. Octavia stayed on the floor, the closer to the food the better. Raven put her arm around Clarke's shoulder and sighed with content.

"How does it feel going back to your old home, Griffin?"

Clarke looked around her, remembering the months she had spent with Raven in this apartment. She had missed the brick walls and the wooden floor. The small cactus they had bought last May was still on the window sill, in the ridiculously small pot Raven had insisted for Clarke to paint. For good luck, she had said. Since the first cactus they had bought lasted less than two months, drowned in unneeded water. The white paint Octavia had dropped had left a permanent stain on the wall. Raven's fireworks plan was still attached by two magnets on the fridge and Clarke wondered if she thought about using it again this year. This had been a really nice place. It still was.

"It feels good. It hasn't changed."

"That's because you haven't seen what the small Blake did to your room," Raven chuckled.

Octavia grabbed the first cushion she could get her hands on and threw it at Raven's face who laughed harder. Clarke's old room hadn't even changed that much. A drum set had replaced Clarke's desk. A black punching bag hung from the ceiling, in the corner of the room and a few half-broken drumsticks – proofs of Octavia's practicing nights – covered the floor. Sure, it had changed a bit. But not  _that_ much.

"Clarke doesn't care. Right, Clarke?" Octavia asked, her mouth full of pizza. "Plus, she has her own apartment now and Lexa has mad decoration skills."

Lexa smiled at the girl and thanked her.

"And mad cooking skills," Wells added, giving a thumbs-up to Lexa.

Raven turned her head to look at Clarke, mischief sparkling in her brown eyes.

"Clarke? Any skills we forgot to mention?" she grinned and wiggled her eyebrows.

Clarke, who had just taken a bite, chocked on her pizza. Her only dream at the moment was to slap this shit-eating grin off of her face. She glared at Raven and oh – if looks could kill. Next to her, Lexa felt her cheeks redden and her neck burn from embarrassment. There was nothing going on between her and Clarke. Sure, Lexa had a huge crush on her roommate since the day they had met. Sure, Clarke brought her flowers a few times a week but it was only because she knew how much Lexa loved the smell of roses and the contrast between the colored petals and the white walls of the apartment. Clarke had never really bought flowers _for_ _her_.

Wells glanced at Lexa and saw the bright red color of her cheeks. He asked Raven to stop when he noticed her discomfort. Raven turned her head towards Wells.

"Alright. So, when are _you_ bringing us someone?"

Wells laughed at the question.

"Me?" He pointed a finger to his chest. "I don't have time for a love life."

Both Raven and Octavia huffed and rolled their eyes in unison.

"I know you work a lot, Wells. But _come on_. If you have time for pizza night, you have time for a relationship," Octavia said.

"Maybe he just doesn't want to be in a relationship."

All eyes were on Lexa the next second. To be the center of attention twice in less than two minutes was too much for her. Clarke, who knew how much she hated that, smiled and immediately put a hand on her knee, barely touching it, and gently squeezed. To say that it didn't help Lexa's blush to go away was an understatement. Wells cleared his throat to get their attention back once again.

"Thank you," Wells said to the youngest in the room. "The thing is, I already have to take care of you fools." He pointed his finger to the three girls in front of him. "And that alone will kill me."

Three pairs of eyes were on Wells and objections came from all sides. He exchanged a knowing look with Bellamy who nodded to show his approval. Wells was certain he could trust Lexa with his life, even if she was the one he knew the least. But the tree little devils were something else. He couldn't count the number of times he had been more stressed about these girls than about college or life in general. But that was more than normal. After all, he had grown up with them. Same school, same playground, same memories. They were practically family. When the girls finally stopped listing every little things proving Wells was wrong, Raven switched targets.

"Anyway. What about you, Bellamy?"

"I'm not really looking for anything."

Bellamy shrugged. His history studies and his part-time job at the bar took most of his time. That was more than alright with him; he was happy. He couldn't help but smile every time Octavia tried to set him up, as she had said, with someone else than "Achilles and his pals".

"Not even that barista you're working with? She's cute as hell," Raven stated and didn't receive the gentlest look from Octavia.

"Same as Wells," he replied. "You girls will kill me."

"Don't play it like that, Bell," Octavia said. "You're the one who used to get us in trouble."

Bellamy gave her an offended look.

"I'm the one who saved your asses too many times."

"Remember when you two made Clarke play soccer with you to annoy the other boys because she was better than them?" Raven asked, pointing at Wells and Bellamy and they all chuckled at the memory.

Lexa looked at Clarke, raising her eyebrows, and asked, "You played soccer?"

"I did," Clarke smiled.

"She was really good," Bellamy said. "Wells and I always gave her the ball on purpose. It made the other boys go crazy because she was so much better than them," he laughed.

"One of them broke a window wanting to prove to his friends he could throw the ball higher than Clarke could," Octavia huffed. "Dumbass."

Lexa listened to her five friends sharing memories. Every time she felt a little out of the conversation, they made sure to include her again and explained some details about their childhood. None of them had the privilege to be spared some embarrassing stories. After a good thirty minutes, they were all laughing at their foolish younger selves.

"Good old times," Bellamy sighed, leaning back into the chair. "Too bad you stopped playing, Clarke."

"Please. We both know I'm still better than you, Bell."

They exchanged a playful and challenging look. Octavia caught them staring at each other and stood up. She loved competition as much as Clarke did, if not more. She wasn't going to let this opportunity go. She clapped her hands, regaining their attention and grinned.

"Since you two are show off drama queens," she announced, "push-up contest –"

"This is ridiculous, O," Raven cut her off.

"– and the loser buys us a round tomorrow night."

"Never mind. Brilliant."

Bellamy and Clarke considered the proposition for a second but Octavia knew who she was dealing with. It didn't take long for the two friends to go around the couch to have enough space. They both laughed at how ridiculous this was before getting into position. Bellamy took off his sweater and Clarke made sure her shoe soles didn't slipped on the floor. They started slowly, Octavia sitting on the back of the couch, counting. Clarke could hear the smile in her voice. She was enjoying this way too much. Clarke knew she was extremely competitive, more than a lot of people, but she was convinced the younger Blake was even worse than her.

Raven was leaning against the kitchen counter next to Lexa and commentated what was happening in front of her. The words escaping Raven's mouth created a melody of nonsense to Lexa. Her newly found passions seemed to be the vein on Clarke's neck she hadn't noticed before and Clarke's bottom lip slightly trembling a little more each time. Then Lexa's eyes traveled down Clarke's body and landed on the generous cleavage. She immediately bit her lip and closed her eyes, mumbling to herself to get it together, almost like a mantra. God, she was so weak it was embarrassing.

When Clarke flexed her arms for the twenty sixth time, she knew she wouldn't last much longer and Bellamy noticed his friend's shaking arms.

"Goodbye, Clarke," he laughed, his biceps burning as well.

"Fuck off."

Raven laughed and leaned her head towards Lexa to say, "See? This is the real Clarke. A sore loser who would die trying to win."

Raven's words gave Clarke the strength to do four more push-ups before but her arms couldn't hold her anymore. She fell onto the ground, yanking Bellamy's wrist in the process to make him fall too. She stayed down for a minute, catching her breath, her face flushed and her arms like jelly. Raven was right. She hated to lose. But even more than that, she hated to lose to Bellamy. And in front of Lexa. This whole thing was wrong. She rolled on her back and searched for Octavia. When her eyes finally landed on the girl, the only thing she saw was the huge grin stretching Octavia's lips.

"Stop smiling. I want a rematch."

Raven shook her head in disbelief and tapped Lexa's shoulder.

"See? What did I told you?"

Clarke stood up, wiping her dirty hands on her jeans and promised Raven she would buy them their drinks. But she insisted on the rematch. Clarke Griffin doesn't lose, let alone In front of her cute roommate who clearly likes her. She wiped her sweaty forehead and offered her hand to Bellamy, helping him to get up. She argued with Octavia who finally agreed on the rematch; after all, she liked competitions. They decided Clarke would get her revenge four months later.

* * *

 When Clarke finally finished her story, Lincoln was sitting next to her, Wells and Lexa standing in front of them.

"Wait, that's why you're doing all of this? For a push-up contest with Bellamy?" Lincoln laughed.

"There's no worse loser than Clarke on this entire planet," Wells stated.

Clarke hit his shoulder playfully and Lincoln got down from the counter. He took a flower in the vase, mimicking Clarke's previous action and gave it to the younger girl.

"I'm sorry I drilled into your door," he apologized, grabbing his bag on the floor. "And you better win, Clarke."

She nodded and thanked him again. Lincoln quickly hugged Lexa and squeezed Clarke's shoulder. He headed to the door, waving goodbye. Wells followed his lead. He promised Clarke he would come back later this week to admire her progression and she stuck her tongue out.

At the second the door closed behind the boys, Clarke quickly went to her room and changed into a pair of shorts and an old tank top, ready to put her new purchase to use. She took a deep breath and firmly gripped the bar. Lexa had decided to study and went to her room to grab some books. When she walked past the bathroom door, she couldn't help but stopped for a split second. Clarke, barefoot, her top revealing a bit of the skin of her stomach, gripping the chromed bar as if there were no tomorrow, was something she didn't know she needed in her life. She forced herself to stop staring when she bit her bottom lip so hard that her tongue felt the metallic taste of blood.

Her hatred towards that bar was already vanishing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this. I just wanted to do something light-hearted for fun. It won't be very long; sorry for any mistakes, english isn't my native language :)


	2. girls meet gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, thank you all for your lovely comments. Second, don't be taken aback, this is a (long) flashback :) Enjoy!

**June 12 th 2015**

A slight breeze freshened the heavy heat of the summer air. Muffled rock music Raven had chosen rippled in the empty garage, echoing against the walls. She didn't know the words to the songs and quietly hummed the melody, waiting for Clarke to come down. Abby was at work and almost the whole gang was meeting at the Griffins' house this afternoon. A few bags and boxes of snacks where scattered on a table against the wall. A couple of minutes later, Raven heard a chair scraping the floor and doors being closed upstairs. Finally, her eyes caught a glimpse of blonde hair.

"Any news from Octavia?" Clarke asked, joining Raven in the garage.

Raven nodded and showed the text their friend has sent her a few minutes before. They would at least be thirty minutes late, as usual. Clarke sighed, muttering a "what's new?" before heading to the old couch, in the back of the room. She lifted up the cover that hided it and threw it aside. They had decided to stay in the garage to enjoy this sunny and warm day and to keep the house clean at the same time. She gripped the arm rest to move the couch in the middle of the garage and pulled.

The couch was heavier than Clarke had thought and she felt as if she was ripping her arms off for nothing. Leaning against the warm concrete walls, sliding her thumb against her phone, Raven didn't notice Clarke's flushed face and white knuckles nor the litany of whispered obscenities rolling on her tongue. She fumbled around, her eyes not leaving the bright screen, until her fingertips bumped into the bag of Doritos.

"Can you draw something for Octavia? Something about a bet with an art student…" she announced, eating mindlessly.

"Seriously, Raven, I'll do whatever she wants," Clarke said not paying attention, almost out of breath, "if you help me with this."

The girl put her phone in her back pocket and grabbed the other end of the couch to help Clarke. They brought some chairs from the living room so that everyone could sit when they would all be there. Raven declared that her butt would never touched a folding chair and that she had a reserved place on the sofa. Clarke chuckled, adding a few cushions to the mix, and let herself fall on the said couch. Raven sat next to her and she sank a little deeper between the cushions. They stayed there, enjoying the silence and waiting for the Blakes to show their faces. Thirty minutes passed and there were still no sign of them. When they finally showed up, Bellamy smiling behind the wheel, Raven quickly got up to meet them outside.

Bellamy stopped the car in front of the house and was the first one to get out. He barely had a foot on the ground when he felt Raven's arms around his neck. Anybody who didn't know them could have thought they hadn't seen each other for years. Truly, it had only been a few weeks. He wrapped his arms around her and smiled into her shoulder. When Raven finally let go, she ruffled his hair, thing she had done every time she had seen him for the past ten years.

Meanwhile, Octavia grabbed a small bag on the backseat and handed it to Clarke. It was full of drawing supplies. Clarke almost thanked her but she thought about what Raven had said earlier. The younger Blake explained the situation when she met Clarke's questioning eyes. Bellamy had gone with her in a coffee shop when she had visited him on campus. One of his friend was in a fine art's program and she had bet she could draw as well as any art student,if not better, because she simply was naturally gifted.

"Of course, I thought about you when I said that," she smiled her biggest smile and it couldn't have looked more fake. "Will you do it? Please?"

Clarke shook her head yes and laughed. Octavia gave her quick hug and whispered a thank you in her ear at the same time. Then she saw a smiling Raven in front of her and fought not to smile too. The older girl took her in her arms in an exaggerated way and rocked them back and forth, Octavia fighting to get out of the embrace.

Raven grinned at Octavia and asked, "Did you miss me?"

Octavia finally broke free from Raven's arms.

"Why would I miss you? I don't even like you, nerd," she said, playfully pushing Raven away.

Bellamy smiled at the pair, kissing Clarke's cheek as a hello. The four friends entered the garage, Raven and Octavia rushing towards the couch. Clarke went to back into the house to grab some glasses and drinks in the kitchen and came back to the others.

"So, who's the mysterious new friend we're meeting?" Octavia asked, sinking into the couch.

Raven had told them the day before she had invited someone else but they still didn't know who that person was.

"Her name's Anya. I met her last month, at the bar down our street, you know the one?" Octavia nodded at Raven's question. "She's cool. You guys are going to like her.  _And_  she might even have a job for you, Bellboy, so please make a good impression."

Bellamy asked Raven if she was being serious. He had wanted to work to help his mother but college took all of his free time and he barely had the chance to look for something. Either the working hours didn't match his schedule or the job was already taken. So he had given up in February. This could be a great opportunity.

They talked for a while, sipping drinks and listening to music. Raven took half of the couch, half lying, her legs on Octavia's thighs. It had been a while since their last time all together. Wells was the only one missing. He had signed up for a month long internship before summer. Clarke grabbed the bag Octavia had brought and asked her what she wanted her to draw. She wanted to start before the last guest arrived. The pencil lead rolled on the paper, under the admiring eyes of her friends. They listened to the pencil scraping the paper until Raven broke the silence.

"Hey Clarke," she began, reading from her phone, "Anya is asking if she can bring her puppy."

"Yes," Octavia was quick to answer.

"I was asking Clarke, in case you didn't hear," Raven laughed, leaning her forearm against Octavia's shoulder to get closer to her. "Sometimes I forget there's a heart and a child who loves puppies under all those black clothes and murderous glances," she said, a mocking tone in her voice.

Octavia hit Raven's head with the back of her hand, only making her laugh a little more in the process. They bickered like toddlers around a box of crayons until Raven remembered Clarke hadn't answered. She looked up at her friend, an embarrassed smile on her face, telling her Anya probably couldn't leave the dog home. The blonde shrugged and nodded. She didn't mind at all, to be honest. 

It didn't take long for the awaited black car to be parked under a tree next to the Griffins' house. The driver came out of the car, sunglasses on. Anya had light brown hair with some strands of blonde hair, lightened by the sun. She was dressed in all black, from her tight tank top to the tattoo on her arm to her boots and Raven nudged Octavia's side.

"She's your twin."

"Yeah. Well I hope she's not yours too because I'm tired of you," Octavia quipped.

She stood up to welcome the newcomers and Clarke and Bellamy mimicked her action. They all walked up to Anya and waited for Raven to introduce them, which she briefly did. At the mention of Bellamy, Anya pointed her finger at him, and said, "Looking-for-a-job Bellamy?" to which Raven smiled and nodded. They talked for a minute but Octavia kept looking around her and at the new girl's feet. Anya curiously looked at her asked her if she had lost something.

"Where's the puppy?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. Raven's grin reappeared. She had rarely seen Octavia like this.

"Oh, it's not an actual puppy," Anya laughed. "I was talking about my little sister. Lexa. Who is-" she looked around, "probably still the car. She was calling a friend."

The four friends glanced at the car's smoked windows at the same time to see a darker shade moving behind the glass. Octavia looked slightly disappointed and Raven promised her she would get her a puppy someday. Clarke suggested they should come inside. Anya's sister could always join them after her call. They all agreed and sat somewhere in the garage while Clarke asked the new woman if she'd like anything to drink. Once they were all set, Raven slightly turned up the music. One song later, she was in a deep conversation with Anya and Bellamy about the rock band singing on the track. Octavia gave up on the conversation and screamed Clarke's name. When her own name echoed in the house, she followed the voice to find the source and found her friend in the kitchen, preparing dinner. Octavia pointed out it wasn't even six in the afternoon and Clarke opened her mouth to answer but a light knock on the door stopped her. She gestured for Octavia to go open it.

Words she could barely understand were exchanged in the living room, next to the kitchen.

"You must be Lexa! I'm Octavia."

The other girl must have answered something but Clarke couldn't quite hear it. She heard the steps come towards her and looked up. The girl standing behind Octavia was slightly taller than her. Her hair was the same color as Anya's but a bit longer and a little wavy. Her shorts let tanned long legs appear. She was truly beautiful. Her soft green eyes couldn't hold Clarke's stare for long. A shy smiled stretched her full lips and she had sharp cheekbones that could cut glass. The said cheekbones quickly took a deep pink shade and Octavia snapped her fingers to wake Clarke up from her trance.

"So you're Anya's sister, right?" Octavia rolled her eyes at Clarke's words. Thank you Captain Obvious. "I'm Clarke," the blonde smiled, "nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you, too."

Octavia looked at the two girls smiling at each other for a second, disbelief filling her eyes. The Griffin effect worked pretty well on Anya's sister. Unable to just stand there one more second, she coughed to regain their attention.

"Lexa and I," she stared insistently at Clarke, a disapproving look on her face, "went to the same high school. Strangely enough, we never met." She put her hand on Lexa's shoulder. "Anya is in the garage with the others, I'll be there in a sec. It's the first door on your right," she added and Lexa nodded, leaving the room with a last smile for her host.

When she heard Lexa closing the door, Octavia leaned against the kitchen counter and observed Clarke cooking for a minute before asking, "How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Clarke asked back mindlessly.

"You know what. This. Grinning like you're so unbearably full of yourself - even more than Raven, which says something, really - and getting her to blush and smile and fall in love with you just  _like that_ ," she snapped her fingers. "I mean how-" she rambled, dumbfounded.

"I'm charming,' Clarke shrugged, grinning.

Octavia huffed, "Well, Prince Charming, you can stop with your killer smile right now because I will never fall for it."

Clarke whispered a "your loss" and Octavia groaned, annoyed. She offered Clarke to help her cook but her friend told her to get out of the kitchen and to go have fun. She finished her preparation soon after Octavia had left the room and put it in the oven. She got back to her friends and leaned against the door frame for a second, smiling to herself. Apparently, Anya had made her little effect too. They were all sitting around her, invested in a lively conversation about God knows what. Clarke sat on the floor, against the old dusty couch, a beer in her hand and enjoyed the noise around her. It felt good. 

She could feel Lexa's eyes on her from time to time. But every time she tried to catch her gaze, the younger girl quickly turned her head to look anywhere else, faking an immense interest in the concrete floor. Raven, sitting on the couch, noticed their little game and nudged Clarke's thigh with her foot, a smirk plastered on her lips. She then pursued her conversation with Anya for a while before asking Clarke if she needed any help with the dinner. Clarke knew she wouldn't take no for an answer; it was Raven she was talking about. 

They both got up and headed to the kitchen. Raven asked Clarke where they were going to eat and started to set the table in the living room. She grabbed a pile of plates while Clarke took the lasagna out of the oven and put it on the counter, her fingertips starting to feel the heat. Raven gave the blonde a thumbs-up when the nice smell filled the room. She put the plates on the table, came back and sat on a bar stool.

"You should thank me, Griffin. I found us a new friend and I found you a wife," she announced.

"Don't start."

"What? Don't tell me she's not your type," Raven said, not buying it. "And she's  _totally_  into you."

"She doesn't even know me, Raven," Clarke sighed. "And you know I'm not looking for anything right now. I can't."

"Finn can go fuck himself, Clarke. You have the right-"

"I don't want to," she stated, cutting the conversation short. "And I mean... have you seen her? She honestly looks like the purest thing ever. I won't destroy this for a ridiculous rebound plan."

Clarke didn't know anything about Lexa but if there was one thing she could tell about the girl, it was that she probably deserved the world. They stayed silent for a minute, Raven holding the plates and Clarke moving the dish to a platter. Finally, Raven grabbed Clarke's wrist and searched for the blue eyes.

"I still think you guys could get along," she smiled genuinely, moving to the other room.

Raven's voice resonated in the whole house - even in the whole neighborhood, if she was being honest - when she told everyone to come to the living room to eat. Anya had brought champagne from the bar she was working in. They all took place around the table and raised their glass to the beginning of a great summer and new friendships. Bellamy, Anya and Lexa discussed the possibilities of the Blake getting a job at the small bar called the  _Underground_. Octavia wasn't saying a word and looked as if she hadn't eaten for days. Raven still couldn't believe how good champagne and lasagna tasted together, even though she probably was the only one. Soon enough, their empty glasses were refilled with red wine or soda and their conversation drifted to Octavia and Lexa's last year of high school, Raven's engineering major, new TV shows and gossips.

Raven suggested to play video games to end the night. The Blake siblings nodded at the same time and Anya thought it could be fun. They all helped to clear up the table and put the dishes in the sink. Clarke told them she would clean everything later and Raven turned on the TV and the PlayStation in the living room. The blonde grabbed a beer in the fridge and headed outside to watch the sunset.

She hopped on the low brick wall circling the house, sipping another warm beer; she had stopped counting. Her head was slightly spinning; she was far from being drunk, just a little tipsy. She swung her legs back and forth, her feet hitting the wall like a clock ticking every second. It was really quiet until a soft voice interrupted her thoughts. Lexa walked up to her.

"Hey... You're alright?" 

Clarke nodded, smiling. She tapped on the wall, next to where she was sitting, inviting the younger girl to join her. Lexa pushed on her arms to climb on the wall, next to Clarke who handed the bottle of beer to her. Lexa thanked her but refused. She thought about how she could start the conversation. Clarke seemed nice but her confidence somehow terrified Lexa.

"So, you don't like video games?" She mentally slapped herself as soon as the words left her throat; there were so many interesting questions she could've asked and she had to say that.

"I do. There aren't enough controllers for all of us anyway."

"Oh..." Lexa let out, kicking the wall with her sneakers. 

Clarke glanced at the girl next to her. The last rays of sunshine illuminated her face, bringing out her eyelashes. The blonde noticed her discomfort but couldn't help but grin at how she made the girl act. Lexa wasn't shy. She had seen her chatting with Octavia and seemingly in a serious and deep conversation with Bellamy even if she had met him barely a few hours before. The stuttering and nervousness was all because of her. She decided to break the silence to end the girl's misery.

Clarke congratulated Lexa on her high school diploma and asked her what she was going to study in college. When she told her she would major in law and politics, Clarke's mind created a visual of the girl in a suit, the first buttons of her white shirt undone and before she knew it, she was the one biting her lip. She laughed at herself.

"I heard you were in med school?" Lexa asked, unsure and Clarke shook her head yes. "Do you like it?"

Clarke sighed and leaned back on her hands, thinking about it.

"Honestly? I don't know," she admitted. "I liked it at first and then I broke up with my boyfriend so I dived into work to keep myself busy. I didn't take the time to really ask myself if I wanted to do this for the rest of my life."

"What happened?" Lexa asked and Clarke raised an eyebrow. "With your boyfriend I mean, which is none of my business and I- Forget it," she rambled, shaking her head.

"It's alright," Clarke laughed. "He, uh.. he cheated on me. With his actual girlfriend. Or something. Who knows how many girls he dated at the same time?"

"Jerk," Lexa huffed, taking the beer Clarke had put between them.

Clarke chuckled and whispered a "yep", accentuating the popping sound. She asked Lexa if she was seeing anyone and the girl confessed that her ex-girlfriend had moved to Japan because of her father's job. They had decided to break up on good terms before she left; they still talked from time to time. When the sun finally disappeared, Clarke finished the beer in one gulp and got down from the wall. She offered a hand to Lexa and they got back inside to find the other four in front of the TV.

Raven had teamed up with Anya against the Blakes and she was currently playing against Octavia. Clarke brought a chair from the kitchen for Lexa and sat on the armrest of the couch. She almost got punched in the nose when Raven put her fist in the air after a third goal that made her win the game. Bellamy immediately took the controller from Octavia's hands before she could throw it across the room. It was decided that he would play against Clarke. They chose their teams and started to play under the watchful eye of Octavia who intended to beat Raven's team through Bellamy. He scored the first goal and Clarke's reaction was almost as violent as Octavia's. She refrained herself from kicking the coffee table and stood up.

"You're so dead, Bellamy."

It was his first and last goal of the night. At the end of the game, Clarke's team had lost a few players after three red cards but still managed to win. That was two defeats in a row for the Blakes.

Furious, Octavia asked for a rematch against Lexa, who explained she had never played before. The younger Blake was more than okay with that revelation and almost ripped the controller from her brother's hands. Clarke shook her head, laughing. Raven gave her place on the couch to Lexa and Clarke, still sitting on the armrest, explained the controls to her. Octavia clearly dominated the game but somehow Lexa managed to get close enough to the goal and with a swift sweep of Clarke's thumb over Lexa's, the ball ended hitting the net. Octavia lost it.

"I can't believe you're such a bad sport, Clarke! It's not _your_ game."

"And still,  _you_ are the one screaming because you lost against someone who has never played before," Clarke stated. "You can talk about bad sport," she chuckled.

They finished the game after Octavia asked Clarke to sit far from Lexa. She ended up winning, saving all of them from a tragedy. At nearly one in the morning, they decided to go and say their goodbyes. They headed outside to the cars except from Clarke who brought her beer to the kitchen, followed by Lexa. She turned to the the girl and waited for her to talk.

"I wanted to thank you again," she smiled. "For letting me come," she stopped for a second before blushing furiously. "I mean, for indirectly inviting me to-"

Clarke tried so stay serious for Lexa not to feel embarrassed but she ended up laughing harder than she had laughed the whole day. She was still giggling when she said, "Yeah, I know what you mean."

Anya called Lexa's name from outside and the girl awkwardly stood in the room. Clarke got closer to Lexa, pulled her closer by putting her arms around her shoulders and softly said, "It was lovely meeting you." before stepping back and letting her go.

They joined the others outside, exchanged quick hugs and waves of hands. Finally, Raven and Clarke watched the two cars getting away and when the headlights completely vanished into the darkness of the night, they came back inside. Clarke washed the dishes and Raven dried them.

"So, that was nice."

"Yeah. That was kind, what Anya did for Bellamy to try to get him a job. She's a cool girl."

"She's not the only cool girl, is she?" Raven smiled and it wasn't mocking this time.

Clarke shook her head no and focused on the soap and the plates in the sink. She was wrong about a lot of things. She had promised herself she would stay away from Lexa, romantically speaking. Little did she know that she would spent most of her summer with her, let alone the fact they would end up looking for an apartment together in the middle of August. But she had been right about one thing.

Lexa deserved the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this is kinda off-topic but I really wanted to write Lexa and Anya meeting the gang for the first time and to show how their relationship started. The next chapter will continue with Clarke's working out program and Lexa slowly losing it. Hope you liked it!


	3. the sweeter the better

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again for the cute comments! This chapter is a little longer than the other ones; enjoy!

The chromed bar had been fixed to the door frame for three weeks now, still shiny and out of place. Clarke's purchase had been worthwhile, both for her and Lexa, who was studying in a coffee shop down the road, drinking an almost cold cup of tea. She knew she was screwed the second she begin to think about her roommate. When she read the same line on her textbook for the fifth time and still had no idea what it was about, her concerns were confirmed. Sometimes she couldn't help but think that living with Clarke had been her best and worst idea ever. Not thinking about her was already complicated enough but coming home to her every evening didn't make it easier.

The satisfied grin plastered on her lips, absolutely unnecessary most of the time, had the annoying habit of making Lexa's knees go weak. Lexa chuckled; everything about Clarke made her weak anyway. From her baby blue eyes that pleadingly looked at her each and every time she did something stupid, to her sweaty skin, her flushed cheeks and her abs starting to show when she worked out, to the flowers she brought home because she knew how much Lexa loved them. Clarke was also confident and bold. That was what had drawn Lexa to her in the first place; something radiated from her, a slight feeling of danger and recklessness.

But Clarke wasn't overconfident nor full of herself in the slightest. Sure, her competitive side led her to overreact and to do something on the spur of the moment – you just had to look at the push-up bars, the boxing gloves (she had started to train with Octavia) and the new pair of sneakers in the hallway to get that – but Lexa enjoyed it. And that was the problem. Anyone else would have probably asked Clarke to stop or at least to calm down. Lexa just looked at her and smiled fondly. She was so smitten she felt bad for herself.

And it seemed that Clarke had decided to do everything she could to keep her that way.

One cup of tea and three pages of words she had already forgotten later, she decided to get back home. There was no point working here anymore. She picked up her bag and wiped the fog on the window with the sleeve of her sweater. It had started snowing heavily and the sidewalk was nothing but a white page passersby wrote on with their boots. Lexa sighed pushed the double-doors to fight the cold reigning outside. She rubbed her shivering arms, adjusted her scarf and determinedly walked home.

When she opened the door, her first instinct was to call out Clarke's name, untying her shoes and putting them next to Clarke's pairs. The difference between the two girls was astounding just looking at the pile of Clarke's shoes, thrown messily one above the other, and Lexa's ones, organized by type and color.

She took her coat off and looked around the flat for her roommate, who clearly wasn't there. Lexa quickly put her hair up in a messy bun and hung her bag to the chair in her room before getting back to the living room. The sun was already starting to go down in the grey winter sky. She lit up the few candles placed on the sill of the large window and stood there, for a moment, looking outside. She knew every details; the worn-out bench and the leafless trees, the old blue car that had been there for months and the numbers scribbled on the bus stop.

When the sun had completely disappeared and she couldn't see outside anymore, she thought it was time to get back to reading the text book she had abandoned earlier. She settle on the couch and started studying, highlighters in one of her hands. Her stomach started growling after a while but she decided to wait for Clarke, who was taking a lot of time to come home.

The door finally opened a good hour later, letting Clarke come into the room. Lexa looked up from her book and stood up to welcome her friend.

"Hey," she smiled, "did you already eat? I was waiting for you."

Clarke barely looked at her, heading to her room, her coat still on and, with the coldest voice Lexa had ever heard take, she answered, "You didn't have to. I'm not hungry."

The next thing Lexa heard was Clarke slamming her door shut. She stood in the middle of the living room, dumbfounded. She waited a few seconds for Clarke to come out and explain herself but it never happened. She took a yogurt in the fridge and an apple that she quickly ate, too lost to bother sitting down anywhere.

Lexa gathered all of her school supplies and turned the lights of the living room off. She went to her room, slipped into her pajamas and lay down on her bed, determined to finish working on what she had started. But she hadn't anticipate the deafening sounds coming from Clarke's room. She had no idea what the older girl was listening too but the bass literally made the walls shake. Lexa tried to focus on the words in front of her for almost half an hour. She thought that Clarke might needed to calm down after whatever it was that had happened but this was too much.

She threw the book at the other end of the bed and got out of the room. The sound was even louder. How long until their neighbors would call the police for noise disturbance? Lexa knocked on Clarke's door even if she knew it was impossible for the girl to hear her. Clarke was lying down on her bed, eyes closed, arms crossed under her head. Lexa leaned against the door frame, waiting for Clarke to acknowledge her presence.

When she finally did, Lexa asked above the music, "Could you turn it down a bit? I really can't concentrate."

"Jesus..." Clarke muttered and she reluctantly sat down, lowering the volume with her phone.

"I don't know what happened but you can talk to me," Lexa said softly.

"Now's really not the time to act like my shrink."

"I'm trying to act like your friend."

"Good for you. But don't."

That was the last straw for Lexa.

"Look, I understand that you might have had a bad day-" she started.

"No, you don't-" Clarke cut her off.

"- but you're not the only one working. My head is about to explode and I just- Clarke, please," Lexa's voice was trembling now.

"Okay, fine," Clarke shouted, getting up. She turned off the speaker with a raging gesture. "I'm sorry I didn't let you study. I never wanted to ruin your perfect little life," she spat sarcastically. "Happy?"

Lexa couldn't do anything else but nod, incapable to move. She had seen Clarke angry but never with her and she certainly had never seen Clarke being mean.

"You're done?" Clarke raised her eyebrows when she didn't move.

Lexa felt her watery eyes and looked down. She whispered a "yeah" before leaving the room. She wiped the tears that were menacing to fall. Clarke knew how much she hated conflicts; she just knew and still went for it. To think that she was looking forward to spend some time with her only one hour earlier made Lexa chuckle sadly.

Behind the door she had just closed, Clarke leaned her head against the cold wood. She sighed heavily and refrained herself from going to Lexa's room. She was probably the last person the other girl wanted to see right this second. "Fuck," she whispered, slowly hitting her forehead against the door. 

Neither of them slept that night.

* * *

When she woke up, Lexa felt paper sticking on her cheek and realized she had slept on the open book. When her phone screen had lit up to let her realize it was past two in the morning and she still couldn't sleep, she had thought her last chance to fall asleep was to read until her too-strong headache obliged her to close her burning eyes.

She rubbed her eyes and headed to the kitchen apprehensively. She had no desire to run into Clarke so early in the morning. She understood her roommate was already gone when she saw that Clarke's door was open and that her her coat, her bag and the set of key she had left on the bookshelf in the hallway the night before had disappeared.

She was about to let out a relieved sigh when she noticed something on the kitchen counter. A tray with a glass of orange juice, buttered toast on a plate with different types of jam on the side and a mug with a tea plate on top of it to keep the coffee hot. She spotted a little note stuck under the tray and picked it up, recognizing Clarke's handwriting.

_I'm sorry about last night. To keep it short, I told my mother I wanted to quit med school. Useless to say she wasn't particularly happy about that. I never meant to talk to you the way I did. If the coffee's cold, there's still some in the coffee pot. Have a kick-ass day._

_The asshole you call a roommate who's a huge dumbass and who likes you a lot._

There were little stars and smiling faces doodled around the words and Lexa thought she had never smiled that much in her whole life. She sat on the bar stool, put the note aside and ate calmly, a cheeks hurting from smiling. She finished her breakfast and scribbled a quick answer on the other side of the paper, just in case Clarke would be home before her, which was often what happened these days.

Once she was dressed and ready to go, she headed to the door and came across another note, taped to the front door. It was a piece of white paper with a flower rapidly sketched on it. Clarke had added something in the corner of the paper.

_The florist down the road yelled at me because I kept trying to open the door after she had told me multiple times it was closed. When you're in your shop, isn't it supposed to be open? Damn florist._

Lexa chuckled and put the piece of paper in her bag, already late for class.

She ran into Wells on her way home that afternoon. He had finished classes early too and offered her to go grab a coffee. Lexa accepted right away. They entered a café not far from campus and ordered pastries with their drinks. They talked a little about class. Wells was also majoring in politics and he had looked after Lexa on her first days but he had quickly realized she didn't need his help at all.

"Clarke called me. She told me it didn't go too well with Abby," Wells said. "How is she?"

"She's uh... yeah she's not that great."

Wells noticed Lexa's hesitation and asked, "Did something happened?"

Lexa was quick to shake her head no when she heard the concern filling Wells's voice.

"She was just pissed off last night."

"Wait, did she get mad? At _you_?" Wells asked, bewildered. "She must've been furious. She would never do that."

Lexa chuckled and asked why not.

"She has a soft spot for you," Wells shrugged, smiling. "Anyway, I'm sure Abby will calm down. She only wants Clarke to do what makes her happy. But you know Clarke," he laughed heartily, "she has her special way to announce things."

Their conversation went on for a good hour before they decided to part ways, Wells asking the girl to give Clarke a kiss for him. They hugged one last time and Lexa headed back to the apartment. Clarke was nowhere to be found when she arrived and she hoped she wasn't fighting with her mother for the second day in a row. She grabbed the note she had left for the blonde and put it with the drawing on her desk.

She microwaved what was left of coffee and turned on the TV, mindlessly changing from a channel to the other. She didn't see the time pass until a loud thud made her turn around to see the door being brutally opened. A hurricane of blonde hair and petals barged into the room.

"Hey," Clarke said, almost out of breath, "how was your day?"

"Nice. How was yours?" Lexa asked back, hesitantly and the blonde kicked off her shoes. "Are you sure you're okay?" She looked at Clarke's red cheeks.

Clarke nodded.

"Here," she handed her the bouquet, "she finally let me in." Just like half of time, she had no idea what those flowers were, just a bunch of light pink and white petals. But flowers were beautiful, beautiful things made her think about Lexa and Lexa liked flowers; a true virtuous circle. Lexa smiled and emptied the vase on the counter, placing the fresh flowers in it.

"Look, Lex, about yesterday I-" Clarke nibbled on her bottom lip, nervous. She was never nervous.

"Forget it," the younger girl said, immediately melting at the nickname. "I shouldn't have snapped at you like that."

"What? No, what are you talking about? I," she pointed a finger to her chest, "am the one who screamed at you for no reason. I had no right to take it out on you."

"Clarke..." Lexa whispered and squeezed her roommate's wrist. "You're worrying about nothing, alright?"

Clarke nodded, smiling shyly. She pulled Lexa closer by passing her arm around her neck. They stayed like that for a second; Clarke's arm around the back of Lexa's neck and Lexa's hand on Clarke's wrist. It was far from being the most comfortable position but enjoying each other's warmth was the only thing they could think of at that moment, every words that had been exchanged the night before already forgotten.

"I"m sorry," Clarke whispered into Lexa's shoulder and her lips were on the other girl's cheek before she even realized it. She stayed there for a second and she could already feel Lexa's skin burning under the gentle and innocent touch. Even if she loved making Lexa blush, that wasn't her point now. So she placed an exaggerated kiss on the heated skin again, her lips leaving Lexa's cheek with a "mwah", making the girl chuckle.

Clarke let go of Lexa, picked up her bag on the floor and disappeared from the kitchen. When Lexa heard the racket coming from Clarke's room, she knew she was changing into more comfortable clothes. She came back to the living room in a tank top and shorts, as she had been doing for the last three weeks.

"Raven's going to a party with Octavia tonight, what do you say?" Clarke asked, smiling.  
  
She bent down to tie her white sneakers and saw that Lexa had a few seconds of hesitation.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to," she quickly added, getting back up. "It was just an idea."

Lexa watched Clarke put her hair up and rapidly shook her head no. Seeing her smile had been enough to know she was looking forward to go to that party and Lexa wasn't about to take that away from her.

"No, I'd love to go,' Lexa reassured the blonde. "I haven't seen them in a while."

Clarke let out an excited "cool" and left the room to start working out. The nice smell of the flowers attracted Lexa towards the vase. She stayed there for a while before asking Clarke when they would leave. Once she got the information, she decided to go chose what she would wear and to start getting ready.

"You know what I should try? Handstand push-ups," she heard Clarke say from the bathroom.

She immediately stopped looking through her clothes and let the dress she had in her hands on her bed. This wasn't happening; she wouldn't drive Clarke to the hospital, her head cracked open. And certainly not to her mother, on top of that. She joined Clarke before she could do anything stupid.

"Please, no. Clarke, you're going to kill yourself," Lexa shook her head, her voice almost pleading.

"Come on, aren't you being just a little over-dramatic?" Clarke grinned, flexing her arms and lifting herself up.

And just like that, Lexa almost forgot everything she was thinking about. The idea of Clarke's death was the only thing that helped her keeping her composure, if she was being honest. She could already feel the blush on her face accompanying a stream of thoughts she wasn't supposed to have. Clarke's grin spread on her lips and couldn't be wider.

She knew exactly what she was doing. After all, she had been playing this little game for three weeks now. Making sure to come home before Lexa and to start training before she could hear the sound of the door being opened. Then she had the pleasure to hear the younger girl let out a strangled "hi" and to see her glance at her - she thought she was being discreet - while she went back and forth between her bedroom and the kitchen for no reason at all, passing in front of the bathroom each time.

The reason why Clarke was aware of all of this was because "low-key" clearly wasn't a part of Lexa's vocabulary but also because the younger girl made her feel the exact same way. The difference was that she was playing the grinning and confident prince charming while Lexa stuttered and blushed. But she wasn't fooling anyone.

Raven had started to make fun of her the second she had found out Clarke was buying flowers every week and affirmed it was to decorate the apartment. Clarke wasn't organized enough to think about keeping her flat well-decorated at all times let alone taking care of flowers - Raven liked to remind her their cactus's destiny - on her own. Octavia had asked what Lexa had done to get Clarke to be putty in her hands; it had not taken long for Raven's inappropriate joke to follow.

Their other friends didn't talk about it more than that but the looks they exchanged said a lot about what they thought.

"How was breakfast by the way?" Clarke asked.

"It was really good," Lexa said. "But you didn't need to do all of this, you know."

"Are you kidding me? This was like the least I could do," she huffed. "I'm done with this. Bathroom's all yours," Clarke announced, letting go of the bar, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, stretching her arms and cracking her knuckles. Show off at its finest.

"I won't be long."

"Take your time. You know them," Clarke chuckled. "It's not like they're going to be there early."

She went to the living room and started series of push-ups as she heard the water running. When she felt like her arms were going to combust, she stood up and walked around the room, taking deep breaths. She grabbed a bottle of water in the fridge and hopped on the kitchen counter, waiting for Lexa to come out of the bathroom.

When she heard the door open, she got down to catch a glimpse of wet and wavy hair and Lexa heading to her room wrapped in a towel. Clarke grabbed a pair of ripped jeans and a shirt and took Lexa's place. Stripping out of her dirty clothes and hopping in the shower had never felt so good. She stayed under the hot water burning her skin, breathing in the steam.

She took her time to get ready. It was Raven and Octavia she was talking about. She could at least count a two-hour difference between the hour they were supposed to be there and their arrival. When she finally got out of the bathroom, she joined Lexa in the living room. The younger girl was sitting on the couch, reading something on her phone. She stood up when she saw Clarke who was about to grab her leather jacket.

"Hey, do you think it's okay?" She asked, pointing at her outfit. "It's not too... simple?"

Clarke stopped moving, looking at Lexa's black jeans and white shirt tucked in, sleeves rolled up. Her hair moved to one side of her head and her light makeup made her look even more beautiful, if that was possible. The girl would look good in absolutely anything anyway.

"Lexa, it's just some little party. And honestly, look at me," Clarke told her and her roommate did as she was asked. "I'm in a pair of ripped jeans and a band tee-shirt. You make me look bad," she chuckled. "Seriously, you look stunning."

"Thank you," Lexa smiled.

"Ready to go?" Clarke asked, putting her jacket on. 

Lexa grabbed her coat and nodded while Clarke opened the door. They walked in the cold night; the building they were supposed to go to wasn't far away from their place. When they finally reached the address, Clarke looked at the intercom. She had no idea who was hosting the party; Raven hadn't told her. She called her friend three times but she never answered.

"I swear to god, if this is a fucking joke I'll kill her."

"Just text Octavia, she might have her phone with her," Lexa said to Clarke who didn't look calm at all.

Clarke searched for Octavia's name to appear in her contact list and send a text that probably sounded more like a threat. They stayed outside, their fingers freezing, waiting for an answer from one of the girls.

"They're probably still at the apartment, we should have come later, I kn-"

"Clarke!"

The scream came from above the girls' heads. Raven was at the balcony of one of the apartments.

"Wait a second," she shouted.

Clarke was about to say she wasn't deaf but Raven closed the window without waiting for an answer. The door finally opened, letting Raven appear and gesturing to them to come inside. She greeted Lexa and asked the girls to follow her.

"We've been freezing our asses off, Raven. Can't you answer your damn phone?" Clarke groaned.

Raven looked at her phone and said, laughing, "You called me three minutes ago, Grumpy Griff. Chill."

She lead them into a corridor and opened one of the doors. A wave of warm air surrounded the girls, their ears filled with music. Lexa looked around. There were about twenty persons in the room, moving to the rhythm of some song she didn't know. Clarke had been right; it was just a little party. Raven took their coats and put them on the pile already formed on a chair.

Clarke looked for the host and realized it was a girl she already knew. They had been to a few parties together; she just didn't know where she lived. She introduced Lexa and they exchanged some banalities. Raven and Octavia were in a corner of the room, waiting for Clarke and Lexa to join them.

Clarke told Lexa to go find the girls while she was going to get them a drink. Lexa nodded and walked up to the girls, greeting Octavia. Clarke came back with their drinks and handed one to her roommate.

"We thought you two would never show up," Octavia said.

Clarke almost chocked on her drink, "Are you kidding me? I called Raven two freaking billion times."

"Always so extra," Raven shook her head and turned her head to look at Octavia. "She called me _three_ times, let's be clear."

"You haven't seen Bell or Lincoln your way here, by any chance?" Octavia asked, swiping her thumb on her phone.

Clarke took her sip of whatever was in her cup, "No, why?"

"They were supposed to join us."

The four of them ended up talking and dancing with a bunch of Raven's friends, forgetting about the boys. When the alcohol in their system started to make its effect, Raven grabbed a bag of Sour Patch Kids on the table and lead the other girls towards the chairs aligned against the wall. They sat down and talked, passing the bag between them. Clarke explained to Octavia what had happened with her mother since she was the only one who didn't know.

They continued their conversation and somewhere along the way, Bellamy and Lincoln joined them. Somehow Clarke ended up with a space snapback on her head and a black thick line on each cheek. Raven had told her it was to give her the strength to confront Abby. But it was black eye-shadow and it looked like everything but warpaint. Octavia thought it looked cool so Raven had forbidden Clarke from removing it.

Finally, they talked about the two weeks of vacations Octavia, Clarke and Raven had taken in Miami, last July.

"We should do that again this summer," Raven said, smiling at the memory of these holidays.

"Totally. And Lexa could come with us!" Octavia added.

"It's always nice to feel included," Bellamy laughed, looking at Lincoln.

"You boys should look for a job so you can feed us when we'll come back completely broke," Raven patted Bellamy's shoulder.

Lincoln chuckled at Raven's state and exchanged her glass, filled with some unknown alcoholic beverage that was probably a mix of everything she had found, with his plastic cup of water. Clarke got up and headed to the table on the other side of the room to pour herself a glass of water too. Once she had the drink in her hand, she leaned back against the wall. Getting Raven home was going to be something they wouldn't soon forget.

"Don't tell me you're feeling like Raven?" She heard Lexa ask her.

She handed the bag of candies to Clarke who picked one.

"She's gonna be better. Just give her one or two hours," Clarke said, leaning the back of her head against the cold wall, closing her eyes.

"You're sure you're alright?" Lexa chuckled.

"Awesome," Clarke gave her a thumbs-up. She opened her eyes when Lexa didn't say anything, a worried smile on her face. "I'm fine, really. I'm just tired. I didn't sleep last night."

"Me neither," Lexa said in a voice barely audible.

"I'm sorry I made you cry," Clarke said, regret in her eyes and her voice.

"I didn't cry."

"You were about to, it's the same thing," she stated, putting the glass of water on the table.

Clarke closed her eyes again and Lexa traced the line of makeup on her cheek. She mentally thanked Raven for what she had put in her drink that allowed her to be bolder than usual. Clarke let out a satisfied sigh when she felt Lexa's fingertips on her skin.

"I saw Wells today," the younger girl announced.

"Oh yeah?" Clarke whispered, feeling Lexa's fingers trace the other line.

Suddenly, the younger girl remembered what Wells had asked her earlier that day and she kissed Clarke's cheek. He had told her to give her a kiss after all.

"What was that for?" Clarke asked, opening her eyes when she felt Lexa's lips leave her cheek.

"That was from Wells."

Clarke tucked a strand of Lexa's hair behind her ear and whispered, "Was it really?" Lexa nodded slowly, looking down. Clarke was too close, way too close.

The blonde tilted Lexa's chin up with a finger and her breath, sweet from the candies she had just eaten, hit Lexa's almost trembling lips. She let her the time to push her back but the only thing Lexa did was to unconsciously come closer so Clarke finally tilted her head and closed the gap between them to feel Lexa's plump lips against her own. She felt her holding her breath in the kiss, her lips closed.

Clarke leaned her head back, grinning and waited for Lexa's reaction. But Lexa wasn't saying anything and Clarke's grin quickly vanished.

"Lexa? I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-" Clarke tried to explain and stopped when Lexa shook her head, finally opening her eyes.

"Did you just-" she started.

"Kiss you?" Clarke asked her, a questioning look in her eyes and Lexa nodded. "Yes, I did. I thought-"

Lexa cut her off, pressing her lips against Clarke's again; she wasn't holding her breath anymore. Her lips soft against Clarke's which were a little chapped after spending the night nibbling them. Lexa slipped her hand behind the blonde's neck who sighed into the kiss. Clarke let her hands wander above Lexa's waist and pulled her closer.

They parted for a split second to catch their breath and Lexa whimpered at the lack of Clarke's lips against hers. She had dreamed and thought about this for months; she wasn't about to let go after a few seconds. Clarke chuckled and let plenty of little kisses from Lexa's cheek to the corner of her mouth to her lips before suckling Lexa's bottom lip. She tasted like sugar, innocence and joy and it was the only thing Clarke wished to taste for the rest of her life.

Lexa melted into the kiss, her body pushing Clarke against the wall, Clarke's fingers in her hair. For a second she thought she was going to wake up; it felt unreal. But then Clarke gently tugged on her bottom lip and she realized her heart beating so loud wasn't a dream.

Lexa reluctantly let go of Clarke's mouth when she remembered they were surrounded by people. Looking around, she realized no one cared about whatever they could be doing. She felt something hit her head and saw Clarke adjusting the snapback on her hair. She had put it backwards and she leaned her forehead against Lexa's.

"This goes _so well_ with your outfit," Clarke laughed at the sight.

"I don't care," Lexa murmured, still dizzy from the kiss.

"We should get back to the others."

Clarke picked up her cup of water and hold Lexa's wrist, pulling her closer and leaving a last peck on her lips. The next thing she heard was a whistle and she knew it was Raven without even looking at the group. Octavia's laugh followed, confirming her thoughts. Two death threats to Raven and a murderous glance towards Octavia later, she searched for Lexa's eyes.

"Clarke, what was-"

"Can we talk about this tomorrow?" Clarke asked, smiling. "Just you and me. Not in the middle of twenty people. What do you say?"

Lexa smiled back and agreed. She was right. They needed to enjoy what was left of the party. They would have plenty of time to talk later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! Once again, English isn't my native language so if you find any mistakes, I'm sorry and please let me know.


	4. does that make it official?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 27/02/17: Hey there, kids! I know I haven't updated this story since last June but I worked on the next chapter and it should be out on Wednesday if some of you are still interested in this.

"You still haven't talked to her about what happened?"

Raven asked– or shouted – the question, almost offended, in the coffee shop full of students. She had stopped there with Clarke on their way home since they had finished class early in the afternoon. Of course, it hadn't taken long for Raven to bring up what was happening between Lexa and her best friend. Her plastic cup filled with iced-tea hit the table loudly. Clarke rolled her eyes and told her to keep her voice down.

"You don't even  _know_  what happened that night, Raven," she countered. "You were way too drunk for that."

Raven huffed and leaned back in her seat.

"Well, I wasn't drunk enough to forget that you and Lexa ate each other's faces."

Clarke shook her in disbelief at the words and stated, "You're disgusting."

"And _you_  are a disappointment," Raven said, pointing an accusing finger at Clarke. "You already kissed her. What are you waiting for?"

"Waiting for what?" Clarke said mindlessly, tapping something on her phone.

"You're kidding, right?" Raven asked, raising her eyebrows. "You've been acting like a smitten puppy with her for the last six months. She clearly likes you back. Why isn't she your girlfriend yet?"

Clarke looked up from her phone and sighed. She stared at Raven, not answering, and the other girl did the same. Raven crossed her arms, holding eye contact. They stayed like that for a good minute, waiting for the other to start talking. Clarke gave up when she understood Raven wouldn't move for hours if she had to. If there was one person more stubborn than Clarke, it was the girl in front of her.

"I don't want to mess this up, okay?"

"You already are."

"Thanks for the support, Reyes," Clarke huffed. "Do I have to remind you the outcome of my last relationship?"

Raven pushed on her forearms on the table to slightly lift herself up and hit the back of Clarke's head with her hand.

"Stop using this as an excuse," Raven scolded her while Clarke rubbed her head, stinging from the slap. "And do something about this whole situation soon. I feel like an idiot for inviting Lexa here, today."

Clarke chocked on her drink, burning her tongue in the process, a few drops of coffee dribbling down her chin. She put the cup of coffee down and wiped her lips with the back of her hand. She looked at Raven, her eyes wide open, and asked, "You did _what_?"

"I wanted to see you two being all gross and happy together so I could tease you about it for ten years, alright?" Raven defended herself, putting her hands up as if she hadn't done anything.

Clarke closed her eyes and ran a hand across her face. Seeing Lexa here wasn't a problem. Seeing Lexa here with Raven was. She loved the girl to death but discretion and subtlety weren't her thing and these two things were important whenever they were around Lexa. Her roommate was so quick to feel embarrassed when people other than her or Anya playfully messed with her that having Raven, who had clearly set this up, here wasn't the best idea after what had happened.

It had not been awkward between the two of them since they had kissed, though. They had come home later that night, too tired to exchange nothing more than a sleepy "goodnight" and a tired smile. Clarke had left early for class in the morning while Lexa was still asleep. She had still prepared her breakfast to settle the fact that she hadn't forgotten about her promise to talk.

Focusing on anything other than Lexa that day had simply been impossible. Lexa's hand on her neck, Lexa's fingertips on her cheeks, Lexa's lips capturing her own, Lexa's hair tickling her nose; that was all she could think of. She had laughed about how she was internally making fun of the younger girl just a few days before for not being able to keep it together in her presence. But there she was, sketching random patterns on a piece of paper and stopping herself from scribbling Lexa's name. This was way too cheesy and she wouldn't cross that line; no way.

It had been the other way around that night. Lexa and Wells had studied at Well's place until late in the evening. She had barely seen Clarke that day. And the day after that; and the day after that. Clarke was either out, training with Octavia or too tired to have a serious talk.

There had been some sneaky kisses. A kiss on the cheek as a hello, a kiss on the forehead as a goodnight, a kiss on the shoulder after a particularly long hug, a kiss on Lexa's nose, red from the cold, when she came home late one night. But none of them risked an actual kiss; Clarke didn't want to rush Lexa and Lexa lacked liquid courage.

"Look Clarke, I can always text her and tell her it's cancelled," Raven said, interrupting her friend's thoughts.

The blonde shook her head no.

"No. But please, don't say anything stupid. Please," Clarke asked, serious.

"Why do you mean by stupid?"

"Just… stay quiet. Small talk, that's it. You can talk about school and the weather all you want but _no_ jokes about our so-called relationship," Clarke warned Raven who nodded, a mocking smile on her lips. "Raven, I'm serious. Don't make her uncomfortable."

"Alright, alright, Romeo," Raven laughed, "calm down. You're the one I want to make fun of, not her. You know I like Lexa."

Clarke opened her mouth to reply but Raven pointed her thumb to the side, directing Clarke's eyes towards the window. She immediately saw Lexa in the wave of students going home and she smiled. When she kept smiling at the sight of her roommate, Raven snorted and Clarke raised an eyebrow, asking her what was so funny.

"You're in so deep."

Raven's face ended up covered by the napkin Clarke had thrown at her but she had the time to gesture for Lexa to join them as she saw the girl walk into the coffee shop. Lexa smiled at Raven and nodded before getting in line to order something. Raven leaned back in her seat, grinning. Clarke looked at her suspiciously before leaning forward and warning her friend.

"One word, Raven. One _single_ word and I'll ask Octavia to beat you up."

"Pff, the little Blake would never touch me," Raven said nonchalantly.

"Touch you how?"

Raven rose her fist in the air and whispered, pinching Clarke's cheek, "You're back! The actual sassy Clarke." She let go when Clarke pushed her hand away. "Don't get me wrong, Griff, I love the heart-eyes puppy you too. But that sarcasm…" she eluded, snapping her fingers. "And just so you know, there's nothing going on between Octavia and I."

"Sure, whatever you say."

They stayed quiet, waiting for Lexa, until Raven nudged Clarke's leg with her foot.

"Why is your girlfriend blushing? Is that barista hitting on her?"

"She's not my girlfr-" Clarke, rolling her eyes at Raven, stopped mid-sentence as she turned around to see Lexa, red cheeks, looking down and fidgeting. The barista who had just taken her order was looking at her with a bright smile. "Who's this?" Clarke asked, frustration filling her voice. "And how do you even look like that?"

Clarke had her eyes fixed on the waitress's perfect dark skin, her perfect wavy jet-black hair and her beautiful dark eyes searching for Lexa's. She had to come from another world. You couldn't be humanly so beautiful. Raven caught Clarke's stare, wavering between admiration and anger. A grin on her lips, she couldn't help but laugh at her friend's expression.

"Too bad you can't go there and say she's taken, since... you know, officially, she's not," Raven tried to look as innocent as she could and sipped her drink loudly, biting on the straw.

"I hate you", Clarke whispered between gritted teeth.

Lexa joined them a few seconds later, a drink in her hand and her cheeks still pink. Clarke noticed Raven fighting hard not to laugh and hit her under the table. The younger one sat down next to Clarke, warming up her hands around the burning hot cup.  She exchanged a few words with Raven under the watchful eye of Clarke, who couldn't say anything when Raven talked about nothing else than Lexa's classes and the upcoming parties they should attend to.

Eventually, Clarke relaxed and took part of the conversation. Raven reminded her she had to go see Lincoln teach the kids how to fight because it was worth it and Clarke promised she would go as soon as she could – Octavia would end up dragging her there anyway – and a phone buzzed.

Raven's phone lit up and she glanced at the screen.

"The little devil needs me," she announced, finishing her drink in one gulp.

She stood up to put her jacket on and said to her friends, grinning, "Well, you girls have fun without me. I'm sure you have plenty of id-" Clarke's eyes made her stopped right away. She forced an apologetic smile. "I mean plenty of things to do." She quickly kissed Lexa's cheek, who was chuckling at her words, and ruffled Clarke's hair.

Lexa watched her leave and turned to her roommate, "She was acting weird."

"You think?"

"I don't know. Is everything okay between you two?" she asked and Clarke nodded. "Can we go home too? I don't really like this place to study," she said, hesitating, hoping it wouldn't bother the blonde.

"I think that somebody in this place likes you," Clarke smiled, teasing the other girl. She slapped herself mentally; the last thing she needed to do was to act as the jealous maybe-soon-to-be-girlfriend. Seeing Lexa blush furiously wasn't really helping either and she ended up wondering if she was into the barista as well.

"I… uh- I think somebody likes you too," Lexa whispered, a small smile on her lips.

When Clarke didn't respond and clearly looked as if she was not getting something, Lexa's cheeks lost their color.

"Clarke? I know we still haven't talked, I didn't- I mean-" she stuttered.

"You were talking about you?" Clarke asked and Lexa nodded; this was the most obvious thing in the world. "I was talking about the barista," she blurted out.

"Oh… Oh," Lexa felt ridiculous. Of course she wasn't making some sort of cute and little declaration.

Clarke saw the look in the girl's eyes and her heart started to beat faster.

"That's not what I meant, Lexa. It's just… Raven thought she was hitting on you and I wanted to ask you your impression. God, this is awkward," she shook her head. "Because of course I like you, you know that right? And more than her, way more. Who is she anyway?"

Lexa laughed. It was like the world had gone upside down. Clarke was the one stuttering and rambling, clearly embarrassed and not making any sense while Lexa was laughing; that was new. Still chuckling, Lexa picked up her bag and stood up, waiting for Clarke to be ready to go as well.

When they passed through the door of the coffee shop, Clarke remembered her last words and said, "You know I wasn't saying that because I'm jealous. I'm not."

"Oh no?"

"Absolutely not," Clarke reaffirmed.

Lexa looked down and stayed silent for a while.

"Maybe you should be."

Clarke's offended reaction was priceless.

* * *

When they came home, Lexa was still smiling. Clarke changed into an old basketball jersey and shorts to start her training routine while Lexa studied on the couch. After her warm up, she gripped the bar in the bathroom and she sighed with content at the familiar feeling. It was her time of the day to blow off steam. She had learned to like it and her progress in just a month had been phenomenal. Even Lexa had said it, in one of her rare moments of lucidity when she looked at Clarke working out.

Clarke liked the burning feeling in her arms, her abs flexing against her will when she started to get out of breath and the peacefulness invading her body and mind when she hopped in the shower, exhausted. That night wasn't an exception. Once she changed into sweats, she headed to the kitchen, her hair still a bit wet and started to prepare dinner.

Abby called when Clarke turned the stove on. She wasn't in the mood to fight but she couldn't ignore her mother forever. So she put her on speaker and continued to work on dinner. Surprisingly enough, just like Wells had said a few days before, Abby had cooled off and Clarke was finally able to have an actual conversation with her. They stayed on the phone for a good thirty minutes, Clarke's keeping her hands busy to stay calm in case something would go wrong again. Just after her mother told her she needed to go to work, Clarke called Wells to let her friend know how it had gone.

Clarke hung up when the oven beeped, announcing dinner was ready.  She searched in the cupboards to find a plate and an oven mitt. She got the food out of the oven and while she waited for it to cool down a little, she set the table. When everything was finally prepared, she called Lexa.

"It's ready," she announced, putting a bottle of water on the table.

A minute later, Lexa was still sitting on the couch and hadn't moved an inch.

"Lexa?"

Clarke got closer to her roommate who was turning her back to her when she didn't answer. That's when Clarke spotted the earbuds in Lexa's ears, probably playing music so loud she couldn't hear. Clarke leaned on the back of the sofa and slowly removed one earbud, letting it hang. She let her lips press a kiss on Lexa's cheek and the girl tilted her head. Seeing Lexa eyes closed, relaxed and leaning against her lips made Clarke melt. She left a trail of kisses from Lexa's cheek to her ear, barely touching her skin and feeling the goose bumps appearing under her lips.

"Did you hear what I said?" she whispered in her roommate's ear.

Lexa just hummed, not paying attention and focusing on Clarke's lips. She had completely forgotten the book opened on her lap but caught it before it fell on the floor. Clarke chuckled and got back up. Every day for the last four days, she had told herself to stop doing this but found herself completely unable to stay away from Lexa. So she gave in, every single time.

Clarke tapped lightly on the back of the couch and told Lexa to come and eat before it would get cold. The younger girl gathered all of her stuff and let them on the coffee table before following Clarke. They spent dinner talking about their day, about insignificant details, about Clarke's call with Abby. Like every other day, the conversation between them flowed easily.

"You should invite your mother here, someday," Lexa said between two forkfuls. "Maybe you could have an actual talk about what's going on."

"She called me earlier. We're good," Clarke smiled. "It's always the same thing, anyway. We fight hard, hate each other for a week and then we calm down. And… there are collateral damages. Can I say once again that I'm sorry?"

"Won't you ever let this go?" Lexa chuckled and Clarke shook her head no.

They finished to eat and put the plates in the sink. Clarke wanted to do the dishes the next day, there was no need to hurry after all. But Lexa reminded her that it was what she said about everything all the time and that their apartment would be a mess if they behaved like that. So Clarke gave in and started to wash everything, telling her roommate to go do whatever she had to since she had no classes in the morning.

"Do you want to go see Lincoln with me tomorrow? Around five?" Clarke asked just before she retreated in her room.

"You want to go see him at work? With the kids?" She waited for Clarke to confirm and when she did, she added, smiling, "I'd love to. He always talks about it with so much passion."

"Great," Clarke left a last kiss on Lexa's temple. "Don't stay up too late."

"I won't," Lexa nodded and wished her goodnight.

* * *

Clarke slept until late in the morning that day. She hadn't even hear Lexa left the apartment. After a strong coffee, she decided to go for a run, persuaded the cold and the effort would help her to completely wake up and to get rid of the sleepiness still invading her body.

When she got back, her mind empty and her legs sore, she slipped out of her sneakers, wet from the melting snow, and took a quick shower to avoid going back into the slumber state she was in two hours before. She left for class soon after that, a cereal bar in her hand and a bottle of apple juice in her bag; that would constitute her lunch on the way to the campus's buildings. She spent a good part of the two hours doodling and waiting for the class to be over.

Coming back home, standing in the hallway, Clarke fumbled through her pockets to find the key but the cold metal never hit her fingertips. She muttered a "fuck" and sighed, exasperated. She let her bag fall on the floor and kneeled down to look through everything that was in it. A few seconds later, half of the things that were in her bag were scattered in front of the door; it was clear the key wasn't there but Clarke refused to believe this was happening. Again. She couldn't have lost her keys once again. She was going to end up planning a budget specifically for this.

She sat down, leaned against the front door and started to get everything back into her bag. She grabbed her phone in her back pocket and went through her contacts to call Lexa.

The girl was still in class, her phone in her bag and she didn't notice Clarke's calls or texts before getting out of the room. Her eyes widened at the number of missed calls and messages the blonde had left her and she clicked on the small icon, envisaging the worst.

**[2:36pm] i'm locked out.. when are you coming back?**

**[2:37pm] i know i lost my keys for the 4th time i'm sorry i'm such a lost cause**

**[2:48pm] Lexaa**

**[2:49pm] Lexa?**

**[2:50pm] Lex**

**[2:50pm] Lexy**

**[2:57pm] i'm bored, wanna hear words with lex in them?**

**[3:01pm] duplex**

**[3:01pm] lexical**

**[3:02pm] flexible? ;)**

**[3:02pm] sorry i got carried away**

**[3:03pm] crazy how ;) can change the most innocent text into an invitation for sex**

**[3:03pm] not that it was one. i know i'm inappropriate sometimes but this would be like.. Raven's level of inappropriate**

**[3:04pm] like, hello ;) … see? crazy. anyway it's cold in the hallway, come back im dying**

**[3:22pm] can we talk when you come back? we need to stop doing this**

**[3:23pm] and by stop doing i mean keep doing but we still need to talk**

When she finally read the sixteen texts, Lexa was smiling, blushing and her heart started to beat faster. If she was being honest, she had been looking forward for that discussion with Clarke. Sure she loved the sneaky kisses she received from her but she also needed to put words on what they were and what they were doing.

She quickly left the building and headed to the apartment, a little stressed but mostly excited. She didn't even have the time to think about Clarke's lost keys; she couldn't care less. She called Clarke on her way home to let her know she had finished all of her classes.

The sight of the blonde leaning against their door, eyes closed, her phone in her opened hand, made Lexa smile. Clarke turned her head towards her when she heard the sound of her keys.

"Thank God, you're here," she said, standing up to leave access to the door.

"How long have you been there?" Lexa asked, turning the key into the lock and opening the door.

"Two hours...  I think. But it's okay, really, I didn't know I had so many games on my phone," she chuckled. "Sorry about all the texts by the way! It didn't bother you during class?" 

Lexa took off her shoes while Clarke threw her bag on the nearest chair.

"Not at all. I only saw them at the end. I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner."

Clarke told her it was okay and Lexa wondered if she would start talking about her last texts. They stared at each other for a few seconds, not knowing how to begin this.

"You know when I said we would talk later at that party, I meant it," Clarke said, looking for Lexa's eyes. "But then we started… this and I like it, a lot. But I can't keep going ignoring what you really want," she admitted.

Lexa smiled, "I was thinking the exact same thing."

Clarke smiled back but before she could say anything, a brunette barged into the room, not bothering to knock on the door and closing it behind her.

"Hey! Lincoln told me you were going to see him and the kids later today. I thought I'd tag along."

Clarke breathed heavily, not believing what was happening in front of her. She looked at Lexa, still processing the turn of events.

"This is a joke," Clarke muttered. "A fucking joke."

Raven looked at her two friends facing each other in front of her and her eyes moved from one girl to the other rapidly.

"Am I… interrupting something? Because I can go."

Clarke waited for Lexa to give her a sign to know what she wanted to do and the younger girl shook her head and smiled, shrugging.

"No," Clarke said, her voice a bit harsh. "We were about to leave to go see him, actually."

Lexa left the room to rapidly go to the bathroom and Clarke turned to Raven, a murderous look in her eyes. Raven lifted her hands up, murmuring a "sorry".

"You're the one who's been getting on my nerves for days because I needed to talk to her and the _second_ I'm about to finally do things right, you just-" she stopped, too angry to continue.

"I'm sorry, alright. How was I supposed to know?" Raven asked and Clarke huffed. "Look, I'll make it up to you. The little Blake and I are going to a club tonight, you two come with us," she offered. "Parties seem to be you and Lexa's thing for relationship related stuff."

"I am _not_ going to have a serious talk with her in a club, Raven. The only reason we didn’t talk the other day was because I wanted us to be alone."

"Then come with us to have fun. You're twenty-one, Clarke. It's not like you guys are going to talk about getting engaged," she whispered, waiting for Lexa's return. "It's been almost a week, what's one more day at this point?"

"What are you guys talking about?" Lexa asked, coming back to the room.

The two other girls answered at the same time.

"Nothing."

"We're going out with Octavia, tonight. You two are coming too."

Raven stepped on Clarke's foot before she could protest and smiled her widest smile to Lexa. The latter agreed and thanked Raven before asking if they were ready to go. Clarke, still grumpy and mumbling, was bringing up the rear. Lexa locked the door, since she was the only one having a key and the three of them headed to the dojo.

It was barely fifteen minutes away by foot and they arrived at the beginning of Lincoln's class. Most of the kids were already warming up on the tatamis under Lincoln's instructions. He was kind and calm and you could see in the eyes of each of these children that they respected him. He quickly waved at the girls when he saw them and paired the kids before he made them start the first randori.

They stayed for the whole class, Lincoln explaining how it worked to the girls when he had a minute. One of the kids, Aden, a little blonde boy who was about thirteen, was particularly good and watching him made Clarke want to try. Raven kept saying Octavia should come here more often and learn to channel her anger. Before they left, Clarke promised Lincoln she would come back to learn some basic holds and he told her he would be more than happy to help her.

Raven told the girls to be ready for midnight before they parted ways.

* * *

There was a knock on the door this time before Raven came in, followed by Octavia. Lexa was still in the bathroom when they arrived and the two girls took a drink with Clarke, waiting for her. When she finally joined them, her hair barely curled, in a tight black dress, Clarke's jaw almost dropped and this lack of control over her own body stressed her out.

When she saw that her friends' reactions were identical, she smiled. She wouldn't suffer from Raven's mocking grin this time. They all grabbed their jacket and left the apartment around one in the morning.

And now, here they were, in the middle of dozens of people, the smell of alcohol, perfume and sweat mixed in a strange but not so unpleasant way. Their hearts beating at the rythm of the bass from the song playing, swinging their hips, trying not to get hit by people's elbows and knees. 

Lexa went to the bar to put down her drink while the girls kept dancing. After a while, she still wasn't back and Clarke asked Octavia if she had seen her. The younger Blake pointed a finger behind Clarke. Lexa was still at the bar but another girl had joined her; a way too familiar face to Clarke. Raven noticed the look in her friend's eyes and followed her gaze to see who she was staring at like this. When her eyes finally landed on the girl, she put her arm around Clarke's shoulder and pulled her closer.

"I know I joked about it the other day but go get your girl now, Clarke. Because if you don't, this one will," she shouted in Clarke's ear.

She pushed her towards the bar where Lexa was talking to the barista from the coffee shop. Clarke walked up to them. Raven was right. She was waiting for the right time to do everything but when was the right time? She was scared and she refused to acknowledge that because she was never scared. She was still thinking about Finn, she was still focusing on the pain. She was making up excuses and Lexa didn't deserve excuses.

So she walked, determined, her smile brighter than ever and before she even realized it, her hand was cupping Lexa's cheek, gently turning her head towards her and she captured Lexa's lips between her own. The kiss was brief and sweet, a way to show the girl in front of Lexa she could stop her little game right away. Clarke didn't bother to look if the girl was gone and she gently grabbed Lexa's wrist, leading her on the left until she was backed against one of the pillars in the room. Just like the other time, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and left a kiss on her jaw, making Lexa shiver. She leaned her forehead against Lexa's temple to talk in her ear, surrounded by all this noise.

"You know when I said I wasn't jealous?" Clarke asked above the music and Lexa nodded. "I am."

Lexa chuckled, shaking her head and she pulled Clarke closer by the hem of her shirt. Her smile kept her from properly kissing the girl. That made Clarke laugh and they stood there, like two idiots in love, smiling so big they had to wait to do anything else. When Clarke finally calmed down, she brushed her thumb against Lexa's bottom lip before kissing her again. It was only in that moment that she realized how much she had missed this, how much she had missed Lexa's mouth and Lexa's taste. How much she had missed Lexa's fingers grazing the nape of her neck and Lexa's teeth slightly tugging on her lips and the tip of Lexa's tongue caressing her mouth. If that was heaven then she wished to die right here, right now.

Clarke's trance was stopped by Lexa's hand pushing her shoulder and detaching her mouth from Clarke's.

"You know there's absolutely nothing between this girl and I, right?" Lexa asked, smiling.

"I know," Clarke nodded and dove back onto her lips.

A few small kisses later, Lexa pushed Clarke away again, chuckling.

"Possessive much?"

Clarke shook her head no, "It just hurts to see you with someone else."

Looking into Clarke's eyes, Lexa let her fingertips trace lines on her cheeks and she thought she had never seen her look so honest and vulnerable.

"I don't want to be with someone else," she murmured against Clarke's lips and this time it was the blonde's turn to smile and to be unable to kiss Lexa.

So she left pecks on Lexa's lips and jaw a countless number of times. And it was nothing more than the desire to feel the other girl's skin against her own.

"Does that count as a talk?" Clarke asked, her thumbs on Lexa's cheeks.

"I don't want to talk," Lexa replied, breathing heavily and already pulling Clarke closer.

Lexa's hand behind Clarke's neck strengthened her hold and Clarke tilted her head to have a better access. She had no idea how long they stayed like this, bodies pressed together against a wall in the corner of a room full of people they couldn't care less about, Clarke's hand caressing the skin revealed by the back of Lexa's dress.

It was only when Raven tapped Clarke's shoulder to ask her if they could leave that she let go of Lexa's lips. Raven smiled and hit Clarke's butt once Lexa was in front of them.

"Wasn't that hard, wasn't it?" she asked, grinning and Clarke stuck her tongue out. "Good job, Romeo."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, thanks for the feedback! Hope you liked it! Have a nice day :)


	5. smiling

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, people! I know it's been a reaaaally long time and I'm late and I'm sorry. Half of this chapter is fluff, that's my way of apologizing. Hope you'll like it!

The drive back home took place in the back of a cab. Octavia and Raven had fought over the last seat available in the back for a good twenty seconds and it ended up with Octavia sitting in the front, arms crossed. Clarke spent the most of the ride completely ignoring Raven's groans and leaving kisses on Lexa's skin. On her jaw, her neck, her cheek, it didn't matter as long as she felt Lexa under her lips. She could feel Lexa smiling and it made her even happier. She intertwined their fingers and brought Lexa's hand to her lips, leaving a peck on each knuckle. This was too much for Raven who made a gagging sound and slipped her hand between the front seat and the door to grab Octavia's forearm.

"Save me, little Blake," she said, sounding as desperate as she could.

Octavia pulled her arm out of Raven's hold and huffed. "Fuck off, Reyes. Enjoy your backseat."

Clarke chuckled at the way Raven's mouth stayed wide open, unable to come up with a witty reply in the following seconds. Raven turned her head to face Clarke and glared at her which made Clarke giggle even more. For the rest of the ride, Raven joined Octavia's "crossed arms" club, squished between Clarke and the window. Lexa had let her head rest on the blonde's shoulder and had a hand on her knee, making circular motions with her thumb. When the cab finally stopped in front of Clarke and Lexa's building, they quickly said goodbye to their friends. Just as she was closing the door, Clarke had the time to hear Raven ask Octavia to sit in the back with her and she saw the younger girl flip Raven off. Laughing, she joined Lexa at the entrance's double-doors and they made their way up to their apartment.

Lexa gave Clarke a funny look when she saw Clarke standing in front of the locked door, not doing anything. Then she caught the apologetic smile on Clarke's lips and remembered her texts from earlier that day and Clarke waiting for her in the hallway for two hours because she had lost her keys, once again. She searched for her keys but she made the mistake of glancing at Clarke while she slipped the key in the lock and the blonde looking like a sad puppy made her forget about the door on the spot.

She gripped the back of Clarke's neck and pulled her body towards hers, sealing their lips together. Soon enough, one of her hands was under Clarke's shirt, the other strongly holding her neck and the older girl was letting her fingers run through Lexa's hair, sometimes tugging gently at it. The innocence of their previous kisses completely disappeared when Clarke bit down on Lexa's lower lip before licking it and it didn't take her much more to slip her tongue in Lexa's open mouth. The younger girl was pushed against the wooden door and she sighed contently at the feeling of Clarke caressing the inside of her mouth from time to time. She couldn't hold back a moan at a particularly good kiss combined with Clarke's leg pushing between her own. 

Clarke grinned at the sound coming from the younger girl's throat and made a promise to herself that she would do everything in her power to hear it every single day. Abandoning Lexa's swollen lips, she moved from her jaw to her collarbones and ended up nibbling on the soft skin at the base of her neck. Lexa was a panting mess, all ragged breath, flushed skin and tousled hair. It became Clarke's favorite look right away.

"Clarke," Lexa breathed out, having more and more trouble to keep herself from digging her nails into the blonde's back.

Clarke just hummed against her neck, leaving a trail of kisses until she reached her earlobe and gently tugged at it with her teeth.

"What?" She whispered in her ear.

She left a peck on Lexa's nose and dove back to her lips. She was convinced she wouldn't be able to stop. She didn't want to stop. But Lexa's hand against her chest made her step back anyway.

"Inside."

Clarke groaned at the word, her brain turning it into a double-entendre and there was nothing she could do about it, except trapping Lexa between herself and the door once again. They kissed hungrily for a few seconds until Lexa put a firm on Clarke's collarbone and waited for her to move back so that she could open the door. Lexa fumbled with the key, Clarke's arms tightly wrapped around her waist. When she miraculously opened the front door, she entered first and then closed it by pushing Clarke against it. She tightly held onto the hem of the blonde's shirt and locked the door with her other hand.

Feeling Clarke's hands behind her thighs, Lexa got the message and jumped, circling Clarke's waist with her legs, the other girl still holding onto her thighs. Clarke walked in the living room and towards the counter to let Lexa down on it. She kicked her shoes off and let her hands wandered on the skin revealed by the back of Lexa's dress, not leaving her lips for even a second. Her skin was warm and soft and so _inviting_ and each second passing made it harder for her not to push Lexa's dress farther up her thighs. 

When Lexa's lips on Clarke's throat earned her an appreciative moan, she let her teeth scrape at the thin skin. Her hands under Clarke's shirt were dangerously high and as her thumbs brushed the edge of Clarke's bra, the latter sucked in a sharp breath. That was too much for her; way too much. She wanted them to take their time, not to rush things and it was necessary for her to make sure Lexa was on the same page.

"Okay, wait," she managed to say, letting her hands rest on Lexa's knees. "One second."

Lexa searched for her blue eyes. "You're alright?" 

"I am  _more_ than alright." Clarke brushed Lexa's knee, her head down, catching her breath. "It's just that I don't- I want us to-" She stuttered, unable to find the right words.

"I know." 

Clarke couldn't say if or how Lexa really knew what she meant but then she caught Lexa's gentle smile as the younger girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and she realized that Lexa _did_ know. So she helped her off the counter and pressed her lips to her cheek. 

"You're not going to skip the whole 'kiss you goodnight at your front door after our first date' thing, are you?" Lexa asked, arms wrapped around Clarke's neck.

"I wouldn't dare."

Lexa laughed and let Clarke grab her hands and swing their arms together. They walked together to Lexa's room and it felt so ridiculous and cheesy that Clarke didn't manage to kiss Lexa properly, her smile too big for that.

"Goodnight, Clarke," Lexa murmured, opening her door.

"Night, Lexa," Clarke replied. "So that was a date?" She added with a grin.

Lexa laughed and lightly pushed her shoulder. "Bye, Clarke."

Clarke watched her close the door and made her way to her own room. She stripped out of her clothes and put an over-sized shirt and shorts on. A trip to the bathroom later, she was in her bed, eyes closed, lips stretched in a smile, fully confident in the day to come.

xxx

Neither of them had classes on the weekend but Lexa, as usual, was the first one to wake up. She prepared coffee for Clarke and poured herself a glass of orange juice. She sat on the couch and flipped channels while waiting for her roommate to make an appearance.

Finally, the sound of a shut door resonated in the hallway and Clarke showed up, eyes a bit puffy with sleep. She went directly to the kitchen to get a cup of coffee and joined Lexa in front of the TV while taking a good sip of her drink.

"Mornin'," she said from behind the couch, leaning forward to peck Lexa's lips. "Had a good night sleep?" She added with a smile.

"Awesome," Lexa replied, sinking deeper into the couch and tapped the seat next to her.

Clarke happily obliged to the unvoiced demand and took place beside her, pulling Lexa closer with an arm around her shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, enjoying the peacefulness of a Saturday morning watching cartoons.

Once Clarke had finished her coffee, she announced, "I'm going for a run, wanna come?"

"I'd like to work a little, this morning. Tomorrow?" Lexa asked with an apologetic smile.

She didn't go running the next day. Or any other day after that. But it was okay with Clarke who knew Lexa wasn't a big fan of running, anyway. Lexa liked sports the most when it meant Clarke working out in any type of jersey, face flushed and muscles showing. And that's the way it kept going for the week. Clarke had spent her Sunday with her mother as she had promised earlier the previous week. Then they had gone back to their college classes routine, leaving the apartment at a different time in the morning and coming back at a different time in the evening. The only difference now was that the time they had together after classes wasn't only shortened by Clarke's workout anymore but also by their numerous makeout sessions, whether it was on the couch, the kitchen counter or the against the fridge. It didn't matter, really, as long as they could let their hands and lips roam the other's body. 

Obviously, it didn't take long for Raven to walk in on them one afternoon, to see Lexa on top of Clarke, kissing the blonde's neck as she was biting down on her lip. She cried out, only slightly exaggerating the situation, as always. The scream startled the girls on the couch and Lexa was standing up in an instant, her cheeks burning in embarrassment. Clarke sighed and got up as well, passing a hand in her hair to make herself look more presentable. 

"There's this thing called knocking, Reyes. Never heard of it?" Clarke asked, annoyed.

"There's a thing called locking the door when you have a girl on top of you, Griffin," Raven replied in the same tone with a sly grin. "Look at this poor thing." She pointed at Lexa. "She looks like one of those idiots who eat hot pepper for fun and turn into a crimson mess."

Lexa became even more red if that was possible, the color creeping up her ears. Raven chuckled and walked up to her to lean her arm on Lexa's shoulder. 

"Don't worry, kid. I'm used to it." She didn't catch Clarke's glare an went on with her explanation. "I can't tell you the number of times I-"

" _Raven_ ," Clarke cut her off.

"Sorry, sorry. Too much information," she admitted, her hands up. "Anyways, I came here to tell you that O and I are going to Lincoln's judo class tomorrow evening before pizza night. So if you're still interested..." she trailed off. "You too, Lexie."

"Sure, that'd be cool," Clarke said. 

Raven turned to Lexa with a smile, "What about you?"

She shrugged. "Yeah, count me in."

"Great," Raven whispered to herself as she got her phone out of her back pocket to type something quickly while making her way to the front door.

"On that note, I'll see you two lovebirds tomorrow. Don't do anything stupid," she said loudly before leaving the apartment.

Both girls laughed at what had just happened and Clarke checked the time. It was almost two so she rushed to her room to change, then into the bathroom and Lexa didn't need to look to have a vivid vision of Clarke gripping the chromed bar and lifting herself up. She went to take her bag in the hallway, determined to get work done. She was done with college for the day but Clarke still had a class at five. Setting some books, her laptop, her favorite pen and a bunch of highlighters on the coffee table, she then sat on the couch and put her hair up in a ponytail. When she heard the shower, Lexa had made a significant progress in reviewing her lessons. It was about to be stopped though, as Clarke finally joined Lexa in the living room, in a loose shirt and light ripped jeans. She gently pushed Lexa's shoulders down so that she was laying on the couch and she straddled her, arms on either sides of Lexa's head.

"Clarke," Lexa warned.  
  
"Yeah..."  
  
"Go away," Lexa playfully pushed her shoulder but Clarke stayed still. "I'm trying to work, here."  
  
Clarke grinned at Lexa, slowly flexing her arms and doing a push-up above her body. Lexa let her book fall on the ground and Clarke rested her forehead against hers for a second before leaving a peck on her nose. A breath of air tickled Clarke's neck while Lexa's chest brushed against her shirt again and again. The sound of Lexa's laugh echoed against the walls of the apartment and Clarke couldn't stop the smile appearing on her lips.  
  
"This is so cheesy," she said between little laughs. "You're so cheesy."  
  
"You love it," Clarke smiled.  
  
"Maybe I don't," Lexa replied, tracing a line on Clarke's arm with her finger.

"No?" Clarke asked innocently.

She leaned on her elbows and let her lips ghost over Lexa's neck for a second, breathing in the perfume she had loved since the day they had met. She left wet kisses along her jaw but soon enough gave in to the temptation of her plump lips. 

"Still hate it?" Clarke whispered in her ear, after a good minute.

Lexa sighed, admitting defeat and she had to physically restrain herself from crossing her arms and pout. She wasn't as much of a competitor as Clarke or Octavia but she hated to lose at this type of game. She wrapped her arms around Clarke's neck and pulled her closer. She barely had the time to kiss her properly before Clarke sat up on Lexa's stomach.

"I need to go," Clarke said with a pout.

Lexa thought the blonde was about to stand up but that was before her bottom lip ended captured between Clarke's teeth. She let Clarke have her way with her for a minute but tried to come back to her senses and pushed her shoulders away.

"Get out of here," Lexa breathed out. "You're gonna be late."

Clarke groaned but gave up and stood up. She smoothed her shirt and ran her fingers through her hair before heading to her room to grab her bag. She left the apartment a few minutes later. When she heard the front door being closed, Lexa closed her eyes and tried to focus back on the books she had in her hand before Clarke interrupted her. Needless to say, it took her a good five minutes to be able to do anything remotely productive.

Clarke barely made it on time for her lecture but tried to get the most out of it. She wanted to finish her year even if quitting med school was still her plan. She didn't really care about failing or not; she just wanted her mother to be proud of her. If she was going to leave anyway, why not finish on a good note for the hell of it? The two hours went by relatively quickly compared to what it usually felt like and when Clarke exited the building, she checked the two texts she had received from Raven. The first one was Raven telling her to come to the apartment right after class since it was closer to the sports center. The second one was a cactus emoji followed by a crying one and Clarke figured their cactus must have died - again. She shook her head and headed to her old apartment.

It was Raven who opened the front door at the second she knocked, a grin plastered on her face.

"Hello again, Clarkey." She motioned for Clarke to cross the threshold. "Please, come in."

Clarke shook her head, laughing at Raven's antics. She heard noise in the apartment and looked above Raven's shoulder. She saw Wells sitting in the back of the room with Octavia. She smiled at them and entered the room. She walked up to Wells and left a kiss on his cheek before bumping her fist into Octavia's. Clarke sat in a chair in front of her two friends and they chatted about Wells' classes and Bellamy's job for while. Octavia kept glancing at Clarke from time to time but remained silent.

"Why are you smiling like that?" She suddenly asked, pointing at Clarke's face.

The blonde just shrugged at the same time Raven appeared in the door frame or her room.

"Clarke Griffin got laid," Raven shouted, her hands around her mouth like a megaphone. "This has been a public service announcement."

A whistle echoed against the walls and Clarke didn't even have to look at Octavia puckering her lips to know it was her. She waited for Raven to come up to them and slapped the back of her friend's head. "Shut it, Raven."

"Yeah, Rae. Leave our Griffy alone," Octavia added with a smirk before Clarke could say anything else.

Wells shot Raven a reprimanding glare and pointed at Octavia. "Stop it. Both of you." He looked at Clarke and smiled. "I'm happy for you, Clarke."

"I did _not_ -"

"Totally did," Raven cut her off as she sat on the armrest of the couch, next to Octavia.

"We didn't sleep together," Clarke exclaimed when someone knocked on the door. It could only be Lexa and Clarke prayed for her not to have heard anything. She stood up to go open the door and glared at the two girls in front of her. "Now, shut up and move on."

Raven lifted her hands up in defense. "Looks like someone needs to evacuate her frustration."

Octavia slapped Raven's knee, laughing. But after that, they stayed quiet but still couldn't hold back a smile a the muttered "hey, babe" they heard from the back of the room. Octavia greeted Lexa and went to grab her bag in her room as Raven offered her a drink. Lexa thanked her but refused. They didn't have much time if they wanted to make it on time to Lincoln's class. It took them five minutes to gather everything they needed which were only two bottles of water and clean shirts. Wells accompanied them to the front door but headed back to his flat, telling the girls he had work to do if he wanted to come to their pizza night. The four of them walked to the sports center and ended up running after Octavia had checked the time on her phone.

They arrived five minutes before the class, all flushed cheeks and ragged breath. When they entered the right room, Lincoln chuckled at the group when he saw them. He picked up a few uniforms he had prepared for them on a bench. Octavia was the only one who had one since she had already come here a few times. Lincoln indicated a room where they could change and they quickly put their uniforms on, a white belt tied around their waist. Lincoln asked everyone to form a line and he stood in front of them. They all knelt and bowed on his signal. Warm-up began and Raven stopped smiling after the four first minute of running and the second series of push-ups. She struggled more than she had thought she would to do a forward roll and Clarke laughed at her. Raven had had her fun earlier; it was her turn now.

When Lincoln finally made them stop, Raven was the most disheveled person out of all the people in the room and she wanted nothing more than to slap Clarke's grin off her face. So when Lincoln showed them the technique they would work on during the class and asked the group to pair up, Raven gripped Clarke's sleeve and dragged her towards a corner. She didn't really count the number of times she made Clarke fall. But Clarke didn't stop smirking and it made Raven want to perfect her technique even more. 

On the other side of the room, Octavia nodded towards the two other girls.

"Look at these idiots."

Lexa followed her gaze and watched Raven pushing Clarke off balance and sweeping her leg out from under her, making the blonde fall. Raven looked relatively pleased with herself.

Lexa shook her head. "They're impossible."

Octavia let Lexa try to execute the technique first and when she hit the mat with her hand as she fell down, she looked at Lexa with an impressed look on her face.

"It's your first time trying judo?"

"Yes. I know, I'm not really good at sp-"

Octavia cut her off, "Are you kidding? That was really good." She turned around, searching for Lincoln and asked him to come.

When he got closer to them, Octavia told Lexa to repeat the technique and Lincoln made the same comment as the younger girl.

"You should come more often, Lexa. You're good," he said, squeezing her shoulder.

"Definitely," Octavia said. "We could motivate each other to go. Honestly, the only reason I'm never coming here is because I'm too lazy," she shrugged, looking at Lincoln.

Lincoln looked over their shoulders and noticed Clarke and Raven. "I need to go see the girls."

He jogged towards them to correct Raven on the way she fell down to make sure she wouldn't get hurt. He tried to help everyone and let them train for a few more minutes before organizing the first round of fights. He let Lexa fight against Octavia after he asked the latter to go easy on her. Raven and Clarke sat on a bench pushed against the wall to watch the fights. Lexa was struggling a bit with the way to move and the way to push Octavia off balance but she did pretty well knowing it was the first time she was trying this.

"Maybe you should ask your girl to be your girlfriend before my girl kills her," Raven smiled, leaning back against the wall.

"Your girl?" Clarke asked with a grin.

Raven rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. And don't change the subject. How is it going between you two?"

"I'm not sure I do anymore. And to answer your question, it's going well. We're taking things slow."

They fell into a comfortable silence, observing the way people fought and trying to remember some holds.

"I know I've been a pain in the ass," Raven said suddenly.

"Tell me something I don't know," Clarke laughed.

"But that's because I'm really happy for you. She makes you happy. It's good to see you like this," she added with a genuine smile.

Lincoln announced the end of the second fight and called the girls back for the end of the class.

"Maybe you should make a move, you know," Clarke said, standing up.

"What are you talking about?"

"Octavia."

Raven shrugged, "It's not like that."

They joined the others and just as they did an hour earlier, they stood in line, knelt down and bowed. As everyone left, Lincoln said goodbye to the girls and told Lexa once again to come by whenever she wanted to. They thanked him again and grabbed their bag before heading back to their respective apartment to get ready before their get-together.


End file.
